BIOCHEM 2EE3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Relative Permittivity, Sodium Chloride, Amphoterism

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Biochemistry
• Course: BIOCHEM 2EE3
• Professor: Boris Zhorov

Document Summary

Water as a solvent solvent - a substance that dissolves a solute resulting in a solution. How do macromolecules react in an aqueous environment. Hydrophilic - water interacts with and dissolves molecules like nucleic acids/proteins as they have accessible surfaces. Hydrophobic - limited water solubility and cannot form hydrogen bonds. Amphipathic - display hydrophilic and phobic properties (i. e. fatty acids, detergents, etc. ) **refer to chem 1aa3 notes for titration notes the "head group" - hydrophilic tail - hydrophobic. Arrhenius theory water is amphiprotic - can act as acid and base acids = proton donors bases = proton acceptors water dissociates to form equal concentrations of hydronium and hydroxide ions. Ionization of water if k>1 - eq"m favours products if k<1 - eq"m favours reactants.