Structure of DNA
There were many scientists involved in the discovery of the DNA structure using many ways of coming to a conclusion. The scientists involved were: Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins- James Watson and Francis Crick.
- In 1952 Franklin and Wilkins used x-ray crystallography to discover the structure of the atoms in the DNA to show that there was a double helix
- In 1953 Watson and Crick used the information franklin and Wilkins gathered to build a double helix model to show that the double helix was connected by complimentary bases
A double helix
Base pairs on a DNA moleculeEach strand of DNA is made of chemicals called bases. Do not confuse these with the bases you meet when you study acids and alkalis in chemistry. There are four different types of bases, shown as A, T, C and G in the diagram.In DNA, two strands coil together to form a double helix. There are chemical cross-links between the two strands, formed by pairs of bases.
