Question

The energy required to break one bond in DNA is $10^{-20}J $. This value in eV is nearly

• A. 6
• B. 0.6
• C. 0.06
• D. 0.006

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

To convert the energy given in joules to electron volts (eV), we need to use the conversion factor between joules and electron volts. The conversion factor is:

\(1 \text{ eV} = 1.602 \times 10^{-19} \text{ J}\)

Given that the energy required to break one bond in DNA is \(10^{-20} \text{ J}\), we can find the equivalent energy in electron volts by applying the conversion factor:

\(\text{Energy in eV} = \frac{10^{-20} \text{ J}}{1.602 \times 10^{-19} \text{ J/eV}}\)

Calculating this gives:

\(\text{Energy in eV} = \frac{10^{-20}}{1.602 \times 10^{-19}} \approx 0.0624 \text{ eV}\)

Rounding off the result to two decimal places, this is approximately \(0.06 \text{ eV}\).

Thus, the energy required to break one bond in DNA in electron volts is nearly 0.06 eV.

Let's analyze the options:

• 6 eV: This is much larger than our calculated value.
• 0.6 eV: This is ten times larger than the calculated value.
• 0.06 eV: Correct, matches our calculation.
• 0.006 eV: This is ten times smaller than the calculated value.

Therefore, the correct answer is 0.06 eV.