Question

How does the combination of salt, soap, and alcohol work together to extract DNA?
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Salt warms DNA, soap makes it slippery, and alcohol shrinks it.
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Salt dissolves DNA, soap cleans it, and alcohol colors it.
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Soap breaks membranes, and salt and alcohol help DNA clump together.
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Salt changes DNA color, soap mixes it, and alcohol heats it.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The correct explanation for how the combination of salt, soap, and alcohol works together to extract DNA is:

**Soap breaks membranes, and salt and alcohol help DNA clump together.**

Here's how it works in detail:

- **Soap:** The soap (detergent) is used to break down cell membranes. Cells are surrounded by lipid bilayers, and soap helps to disrupt these membranes, releasing the cell's contents, including DNA.

- **Salt:** Salt (often sodium chloride) helps to stabilize the DNA by neutralizing the negative charges on the DNA backbone. This allows the DNA to clump together and become more visible.

- **Alcohol:** When alcohol (usually ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) is added, it causes the DNA to become insoluble. This leads to the precipitation of the DNA, making it easier to collect and observe.

Overall, the combination of these three ingredients effectively extracts DNA from cells.