Lesson Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, you

should be able to :

1.Identify the chemical bonds and

molecules
2.Determine the structure and properties
of water
3.Describe the aqueous solutions and
buffering mechanisms
 BRIEF REVIEW OF THE
STRUCTURE AND BEHAVIOUR
 VAN DER WAALS FORCES
• VAN DER WAALS FORCES' IS A GENERAL TERM USED TO
DEFINE THE ATTRACTION OF
INTERMOLECULAR FORCES BETWEEN MOLECULES.
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF VAN DER WAALS FORCES:
WEAK LONDON DISPERSION FORCES AND STRONGER
DIPOLE-DIPOLE FORCES.
• ELECTROSTATIC INTERACTION BETWEEN THE
OPPOSITELY CHARGED REGIONS OF POLAR MOLECULES
(DIPOLES).
• THEY ARE THE WEAKEST ATTRACTIONS BETWEEN
MOLECULES.
 3.2.2 BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF WEAK BONDS
WHAT ARE WEAK BONDS?
•WEAK BONDS ARE THOSE FORCES OF ATTRACTION THAT, IN BIOLOGICAL
SITUATIONS, DO NOT TAKE A LARGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY TO BREAK. WEAK
BONDS MAY BE EASILY BROKEN BUT THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THEY HELP TO DETERMINE AND STABILIZE THE SHAPES
OF BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES. FOR EXAMPLE THEY ARE IMPORTANT IN
STABILIZING THE SECONDARY STRUCTURE (ALPHA HELIX AND BETA
PLEATED SHEET) OF PROTEINS. HYDROGEN BONDS KEEP
COMPLEMENTARY STRANDS OF DNA TOGETHER.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WEAK BONDS?

•IN BIOLOGICAL TERMS, IONIC BONDS, HYDROGEN BONDS AND VAN DER
WAALS INTERACTIONS ARE CONSIDERED WEAK BONDS

WHAT ARE THE BIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF WEAK BONDS?

•IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS WEAK BONDS ARE BEING CONTINUALLY BROKEN
AND REFORMED WITHOUT THE AID OF ENZYMES. COMPARE THIS
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Gravity is shown by the water drops beading up at the bottom of the pine needles trying to fall to
the center of the Earth
The property of adhesion here is counteracting gravity, at least so far. Adhesion causes the water
to be sticky to the pine needle, thus preventing it from falling off the needle.
Cohesion is seen in the actual water drop—the water molecules stick to each other, forming a drop.
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 WATER PROPERTIES
HIGH HEAT OF VAPORIZATION

HIGH HEAT OF VAPORIZATION IS THE QUANTITY OF

A HEAT MUST ABSORB FOR 1G OF IT TO BE
CONVERTED FROM THE LIQUID TO GASEOUS STATE.

TO EVAPORATE 1G OF WATER, 25°C~580 CAL OF

HEAT IS NEEDED.

WATER CHANGES FROM LIQUID TO GAS, IT CARRIES

OFF MUCH HEAT, CALLED EVAPORATIVE COOLING.

THE HIGH AMOUNT OF HEAT IS USED TO BREAK THE

H BONDS FIRST BEFORE IT MOVES FASTER AND
- ALLOW THE AQUATIC
ORGANISMS THAT LIVE IN
WATER TO SURVIVE DURING
COLD WEATHER.
 pH
• PH = P (POTENTIAL)
H(HYDROGEN)
PH IS A MEASURE OF THE FREE
HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION
PH = - LOG10 [H+]

WATER DOES NOT IONIZE READILY

PURE WATER HAS ONLY 10-7 M
FREE HYDROGEN ION; THUS IT IS
PH 7
THE SUM OF THE EXPONENTS OF
THE FREE H+ AND OH- IS ALWAYS
14, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT THE
PRODUCT OF THE
CONCENTRATIONS IS ALWAYS 1
-14
 pH

When water is neutral, pH=7

But when water has an excess of protons (hydrogen ions)
then it is acid and pH < 7
Similarly, when water has a reduced number of protons, it
is basic, and pH > 7
Hydrogen ions do not exist in water as such; instead, they
combine with water to make H3O+, or hydronium ion. For
simplicity, we just work with H.+