17Aug 2015 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

The Dipolar Molecule Water – Mickey the Dipole

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_16242" align="alignright" width="440"] The bent water molecule manifests uneven charge distribution. Image by Qwerter CC-by-SA 3.0.[/caption] Mickey the Dipole? Everyone knows H₂O is the chemical formula for water. H stands for hydrogen. O stands for oxygen. The water molecule is made from two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Hydrogen atoms have one proton and one electron. Ordinary oxygen atoms have eight protons and eight neutrons and eight electrons. For the purposes of this discussion, we can forget the protons and the neutrons. Oxygen has a thirst for electrons. Hydrogen is "happy" to give up its electron. The reaction of hydrogen with oxygen (each of which exist as a pair) is, 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O The hydrogen parts are positive (H⁺). The oxygen part…
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13Nov 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Hydrogen Bonding Effects at Various Levels

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_6362" align="alignright" width="440"] Hydrogen Bonding - a DNA step.[/caption] Hydrogen bonding ranges from simple interactions to protein folding and the double helix of DNA. Atoms bond to each other in a variety of ways. Among these are ionic bonds. Ionic bonds feature electron transfer between atoms. Then there are covalent bonds. These share electrons between atoms. There are also and metallic bonds. These consist of a matrix of atoms interlaced with mobile valence electrons. In addition to these major forms of bonding, there are weaker yet highly important bond types. Foremost of these are hydrogen bonds. Description A hydrogen bond is a tenuous electrostatic attraction between an already bonded atom of hydrogen and a second (electronegative) atom. These two atoms can be located in the same molecule or different…
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