BIOC2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Bond Length, Dissociation Constant, Electronegativity
Document Summary
Definitions van der waals forces forces that exist between molecules of the same kind. H bonding - van der waals force that gets a special name dipole-dipole interaction occurs between h & any of o,n,f strongest of the van der waals forces. molecules in solution naturally align themselves to accomodate for these dipoles. Why are weak bonds desirable in biochemistry? misconception: it takes energy to make bonds misconception: it takes energy to make bonds making bonds releases heat, as the system becomes more stable. Therefore if a bond needs to be formed or broken quickly, a weak bond is favoured. Large majority of intermolecular interactions are weak forces, like h bonds and van der waals forces. Covalent bonds form the backbone and are not generally altered. van der waals forces van der waals forces are electrostatic - they rely on difference in charge to occur. They"re additive and can contribute to large-scale stabilisation within a molecule.
