Erwin Chargaff provided the rule for base equivalence that formed the backbone of the proposition of the structure of DNA given by James Watson and Francis Crick.
It states that when the DNA from a particular species is subjected to hydrolysis to release its components of purines and pyrimidines, the following would be observed:
The total amount of adenine released is equal to the total amount of thymine. Similarly, the total amount of cytosine released is equal to the total amount of guanine.
The base ratio A/T = 1 and C/G = 1.
So, A/T = C/G = 1, So, A + G = T + C
Chargaff’s rule allows the determination of percent of all the bases present in the DNA sample if we know the percent of any one of the bases.
The rule does not apply to single-stranded DNA genomes as well as to mitochondrial genome.