Define DNA. How was the work of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins proved to be helpful in predicting the structure of DNA?

Answer:

Definition of DNA

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person's body has the same DNA.

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins's work proved to be helpful in predicting the structure of DNA

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins built theoretical models, incorporating current knowledge about chemical bonding, and performed the x-ray diffraction analysis of DNA fibers. They showed that DNA produces a characteristic x-ray diffraction pattern.

From this pattern, they made two important findings: -

1. DNA molecules are helical.
2. The helices have two periodicities along their long axis, a primary one of 3.4 Å and a secondary one of 34 Å.

Later, Jim Watson and Francis Crick used their X-ray diffraction analysis to understand the structure of DNA.