Hydrodynamic Shear Breakage of Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Abstract

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was broken by hydrodynamic shear in a capillary. The effects of parameters associated with chemical reactions, temperature, catalysts, and ionic strength, were examined to determine the possible effect of a chemical reaction upon the breakage. No catalysts or ionic strength effects were found, but there is a large temperature effect. The approximate shear stress required to break the molecules is about one sixth of the theoretical force. The temperature and stress results are evidence for the importance of hydrolysis in the breakage mechanism.