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Why did the scientists use radioactive sulfur and phosphorus in this experiment?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Phosphorous 32 was used to label the Nucleic Acid. Sulfur 35 was used to label the protein. The progeny of the E. coli cells Hershey and Chase grew the virus in had Phosphorous 32 in them which concluded that the DNA went inside and was the genetic material. The phage coating left on the outside tested positive for Sulfur 35 which meant protein was left on the outside.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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What radioactive isotope undergoes beta decay to produce sulfur 32?
Phosphorus-32 produces sulfur-32 by negative beta decay.
What Sulfur oxygen and phosphorus are examples of .?
Elements
Is Phosphorus Sulfur Ionic or Covalent?
Covalent
In terms of periodic law which of these elements are the most similar - sodium phosphorus and sulfur?
The elements phosphorus and sulfur are elements 15 and 16 on the periodic table. They will have more in common than sodium, element 11 and an Alkali metal from Group 1 of the table, will have with either phosphorus or sulfur.
Which is more reactive Phosphorus or sulfur?
Sulphur is more reactive than phosphorus.Phosphorous have more stable valence electrons.
What radioactive isotope undergoes beta decay to produce sulfur 32?
Phosphorus-32 produces sulfur-32 by negative beta decay.
What is the name for the compound P4S5?
phosphorus sulfur
What did hershey and chase find through their experiment with virus-infected bacteria?
The idea of their experiment was to determine what kind of macromolecule was the genetic material, DNA or proteins. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, were known to carry all of the information needed to make themselves, but using the genetic machinery of their hosts. Based on this, they were used as a simple system that should be governed by the same principals as the genetic information of the bacteria itself. At the time it was known that nearly all phosphorus in macromolecules is found in nucleic acid, and nearly all sulfur is found in proteins (methionine and cycteine). So if you grow cells in radioactive isotopes of phosphorus, the nucleic acids (e.g. DNA) become radioactive, and if you grow cells in radioactive sulfur, proteins become radioactive. Sorry, there's more. Folks studying infection of bacteria by phage found that most of the virus was a "package" that never entered the cell. So if they mixed phage with bacteria and waited 15 minutes and then put the mix in a blender for a few seconds, the packages that had been attached to the outside of the bacteria get ripped off and can be searated from the bacteria. While the packages are no longer attached to the bacteria, the bacteria are already infected, so the virus genes must already be inside. Now the experiment: Hershey and Chase infected bacteria with phage with racdioactive proteins (sulfur) or in a separate experiment radioactive DNA (phosphorus). The bacteria was mixed with virus for 15 minutes, then whoosh, frappe! They then separated the bacteria from the viruses that had not infected bacteria and empty packages, and asked what kind of radioactive macromoleules were able to get inside the bacteria following the short incubation. In the sulfur experiment , the bacteria were NOT radioactive so proteins appeared to not enter the bacteria during this short time frame. In the phosphorus experiment, the bacteria became radioactive after a short incubation, meaning the DNA of the phage had entered the bacteria in the same time frame as the genetic material. This was consistent with DNA being the genetic material of bacteriophage.
What reaction is used to radioactivley label DNA?
DNA is labeled a radioactive phosphorus because when Alfred looked at the examples 32p always pelleted with bacteria but the new Phage made by these infected bacteria contained Radioactive 32p which is why its labeled Radioactive phosphorus.
What is one of the main differences between the phosphorus and sulfur cycles?
The atmosphere has no significant role in the phosphorus cycle, but is an essential part of the sulfur cycle.
Is Phosphorus Sulfur Ionic or Covalent?
Covalent
What Sulfur oxygen and phosphorus are examples of .?
Elements
Does Plants need both sulfur and phosphorus in order to grow and reproduce How do plants obtain sulfur and phosphorus?
Sulfur and Phosphorus are available to a small degree naturally in the soil. When they are depleted they can be added through fertilization or crop rotation. These traces are necessary for proper growth.
In terms of periodic law which of these elements are the most similar - sodium phosphorus and sulfur?
The elements phosphorus and sulfur are elements 15 and 16 on the periodic table. They will have more in common than sodium, element 11 and an Alkali metal from Group 1 of the table, will have with either phosphorus or sulfur.
What burns when you light a match heads?
Phosphorus and sulfur.
Phosphorus sulfur and selenium which has the largest atom?
Phosphorous
Sulfur oxygen and phosphorus are examples of .?
The are nonmetals.
