Phases of Matter IX: The Wonder of Water 2
Written by Translator on July 2, 2008 – 7:48 pm -Crossposted at Dailykos.com
Hydrogen bonds are not very strong, but they are common. Looking it from an energetic standpoint, covalent bonds (the pure sharing of electrons, like in diatomic oxygen, for example), then ionic bonds, like in salt, are stronger. But there are lots of hydrogen bonds, and numbers have power. The only other that is so diffuse, and thus so powerful, are metallic bonds. I have covered all of those in previous diaries.
A hydrogen bond forms when a hydrogen atom (the smallest and lightest) is bonded with either nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine. From a zero point approximation, a hydrogen bond is a strong dipole-dipole bond, but they are much more important and quite different.
Tags: Hydrogen bond, Matter, Quatum Mechanics, Teaching, Water
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