KITCHEN SCIENCE

DNA EXTRACTION
WHY DOES IT WORK?
Each cell from inside your cheek contains millions of DNA molecules. In order
to harvest these cheek cells, you have to swish with salt water, and spit the
solution into a cup. This solution will contain a mixture of salt, water, and the
cheek cells containing the DNA.

WHY SALT WATER?

Your DNA’s sugar phosphate
backbone is charged. By adding
salt, we help neutralize the DNA
charge and make the molecule less
hydrophilic, meaning it becomes less
soluble in water. The salt also helps
to remove proteins that are bound
to the DNA and to keep the proteins
dissolved in the water. But before
that can work…

We need to break open the cells to

release the DNA. You may have seen
TV commercials that illustrate how
dish soap cuts through grease. Soap
contains a compound called sodium
laurel sulfate that removes fats and
proteins. Soap will also cut through
cell walls because the membranes
surrounding the cells are made up
of fats and proteins. The dish soap
pulls apart the membranes, releasing
the DNA.
OXYGEN You can’t see the DNA molecules yet because they’re dissolved in water,
meaning each individual DNA molecule is surrounded by water molecules.
Water is a very polar molecule. The shared electrons that make up the
covalent bonds between the hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms are not
shared evenly. This causes the electrons to hang out around the oxygen atom
8+
more, giving the hydrogen atoms a partial positive charge and the oxygen
8n
atoms a partial negative charge. The partial positive charge of the hydrogen
atoms in a water molecule is attracted to the negative charge of the DNA
sugar phosphate backbone.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHY WE USED SALT?

Electrons
We wanted to neutralize the DNA molecule’s charge. However, the water
from Hydrogen molecules that surround the DNA create a protective shell that makes it
HYDROGEN HYDROGEN difficult for the salt ions and DNA molecules to interact with one another.
 H+ We add a less polar solution, the
isopropyl alcohol, on top of the
mixture containing salt water, soap,
H O- H O-
and cells. The alcohol makes the
water molecules less interested in
interacting with the DNA.
H C C C H H+ H+ Compare the molecular structure of
H H H isopropyl alcohol with water. A
majority of the atoms that make up
ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL WATER isopropyl alcohol, with the exception
of one oxygen and one hydrogen
atom, are nonpolar. This means that
their electrons are shared equally and
there is no partial charge. However,
every atom that makes up a water
molecule does have a partial charge.

It’s easy to see that isopropyl alcohol

is much less polar than water.
Therefore, the alcohol isn’t as
attracted to the DNA, or the sodium
for that matter, allowing the sodium
ions to interact with the DNA
molecules more easily.

WHERE CAN THE DNA GO?

The DNA molecules precipitate, or
fall out of the solution, and form a
solid where the alcohol layer meets
the salt water, soap, and cells
solution. A single DNA molecule is far
too small to see with the naked eye.
The white strings and clumps you
see are thousands of DNA molecules
grouped together.

Once the DNA has precipitated,

it can be removed and purified, so
that it’s ready to be studied. The
kitchen science method we used in
this example to visualize your
DNA is a rudimentary version of
the methods used in the lab to
extract DNA from an individual for
DNA testing.

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