I just recently conducted an experiment in my biochemistry class where we had to add DNA to distilled water, isotonic saline and 2.5M NaCl. I noticed different physical aspects depending on the solvent, but I'm not sure how I would categorize them. Here's what I saw:
- Distilled: fibrous precipitate, cloudy liquid
- Isotonic: Honestly barely noticed a change here? Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough
- 2.5M: salt precipitate at the bottom and fibres
I know DNA is polar so solubility should increase as the polarity of the solvent increases. But to my recollection what I saw in 2.5M saline vs distilled water did not differ much. However, there is always the possibility that I could have made some experimental errors that led to inaccurate observations.
So, can someone help me deduce the solubility of DNA (simply soluble/not soluble) in each of these solvents, or refer me to a paper I can read? Thanks in advance!
