During the polymerase chain reaction, the two DNA strands ar…
During the polymerase chain reaction, the two DNA strands are separated at 95°C, after which the reaction mixture is cooled to 54°C to allow the primers to hybridize to the DNA strands.Why do primer‑template hybrids form instead of parent DNA duplexes? a) The primers are present in such a large excess that they out‑compete the parent strands coming back together. b) A temperature of 54°C is not sufficiently below the parent strands’ Tm for them to recombine. c) The DNA polymerase binds to the single strands and prevents them from coming back together to form a double helix. d) The free nucleotides are present in such large excess that they interfere with the parent strands coming back together.