Related topics: water molecules

Researchers harness the sun to produce hydrogen gas from water

A team of chemistry researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has developed a unique approach to harnessing the sun's energy to produce hydrogen gas, a potential clean energy source, from water, according ...

Advancing tissue engineering with shape memory hydrogels

One of the primary goals in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is the development of artificial scaffolds that can serve as substitutes for damaged tissue. These materials must ideally resemble natural ...

Enhancing solid-state phosphorescence in π-electronic molecules

Photoluminescent molecules, capable of absorbing and re-emitting light, play an important role in the development of technologies such as light-emitting diodes, sensors, and displays. Among them, ordered arrangements of π-electronic ...

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Hydrogen bond

A hydrogen bond is the attractive interaction of a hydrogen atom with an electronegative atom, like nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine (thus the name "hydrogen bond", which must not be confused with a covalent bond to hydrogen). The hydrogen is covalently bonded to another electronegative atom. The energy of a hydrogen bond (typically 5 to 30 kJ/mole) is comparable to that of weak covalent bonds (155 kJ/mol), and a typical covalent bond is only 20 times stronger than an intermolecular hydrogen bond. These bonds can occur between molecules (intermolecularly), or within different parts of a single molecule (intramolecularly). The hydrogen bond is stronger than a van der Waals interaction, but weaker than covalent, or ionic bonds. This type of bond occurs in both inorganic molecules such as water and organic molecules such as DNA.

Intermolecular hydrogen bonding is responsible for the high boiling point of water (100 °C). This is because of the strong hydrogen bond, as opposed to other group 16 hydrides. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding is partly responsible for the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures of proteins and nucleic acids.

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