DNA Structure

An Interactive Animated Nonlinear Tutorial by Eric Martz
Version 2.3

This tutorial is intended to supplement your biology or biochemistry textbook. It is not a complete introduction to DNA structure by itself. This tutorial is still under development. Check the original source periodically for updated versions. See the version history at the bottom of this page.

Please note that in most images, double bonds are shown as single bonds, and hydrogen atoms are missing. To stop a slow spin, click the Reset button. It is OK to use the mouse to change the image, and to use Chime's menu, but beware that if you subsequently push buttons other than the Reset button, errors may result.

  1. This tutorial requires Chime 1.0 and Netscape Navigator 3.01/3.02/4.01. IE 3/4 and earlier versions of Navigator will not work properly -- see compatibility.
  2. How can I get the most out of Chime?
  3. Double helix by element: base pairs, hydrogen bonding
  4. The Code
  5. Strands and helical backbone
  6. Ends, Antiparallelism

  7. Further information on DNA (Not yet implemented. Send your suggestions for this section to me.)
  8. Methods, Acknowledgements, and References. If you are interested in developing a new nonlinear Chime tutorial, try the Development/Debugging Mode, and read this section, especially the instructions provided.
You can download a copy of this tutorial. Once you have your own copy on your computer's hard disk, you can use it without an Internet connection. Have you seen the other Chime resources at UMass? Feedback/Requests to Eric Martz.


Version History