Energy Carried by Electromagnetic Waves Video Lessons

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# Problem: When an ultraviolet photon is absorbed by a molecule of DNA, the photon's energy can be converted into vibrational energy of the molecular bonds. Excessive vibration damages the molecule by causing the bonds to break. Ultraviolet light of wavelength less than 290 nm causes significant damage to DNA; ultraviolet light of longer wavelength causes minimal damage.What is the threshold photon energy, in eV , for DNA damage?

###### FREE Expert Solution

Photon energy:

$\overline{){\mathbf{E}}{\mathbf{=}}{\mathbf{h}}{\mathbf{f}}{\mathbf{=}}\frac{\mathbf{h}\mathbf{c}}{\mathbf{\lambda }}}$

1eV = 1.6 × 10-19

###### Problem Details

When an ultraviolet photon is absorbed by a molecule of DNA, the photon's energy can be converted into vibrational energy of the molecular bonds. Excessive vibration damages the molecule by causing the bonds to break. Ultraviolet light of wavelength less than 290 nm causes significant damage to DNA; ultraviolet light of longer wavelength causes minimal damage.

What is the threshold photon energy, in eV , for DNA damage?