Cross-Cutting Concepts- Structure & Function

The UV Air Purifier uses UVC light to kill germs, allergens, mold, and pollen in the air. The purifier sucks in air and the ultraviolet light kills bacteria/allergen cells by damaging their DNA. UV photons cause the nucleotide base pairs in DNA (thymine and adenine, and cytosine and guanine) to react with each other poorly.

When UV photons hit the base pairs (thymine and adenine, and cytosine and guanine) it causes them to function abnormally. This then causes the base pairs to change their order. (For example:  (thymine and thymine, or cytosine and adenine). DNA holds information for making new molecules in the order of its base pairs and the rearranging of these pairs ruins the DNA’s information. Without the instructions to properly synthesize new proteins, the bacteria are damaged or “killed.”