BIOL 1107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Intermolecular Force, Ionic Bonding, Ionic Compound
Document Summary
Complex carbon-based molecules form the basic for life on earth. Compound: two or more elements that combine in a fixed ratio. Compounds are held together by chemical bonds: chemical bonds form because a full valence shell is more stable than a partly filled one. Atoms gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a full valence shell. Types of chemical bonds important in biological organisms: covalent bonds, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and van der waals forces. The bonds vary in their strength- the amount of energy (in kcal/mol or kj/mol) required to form and break the bonds. Strong bonds often co-exist with weak bonds like hydrogen bonds, van der. Waals forces and weak electrostatic forces: these weak forces are usually intermolecular forces, holding different molecules together. Individual weak bonds are transient, but when many weak bonds occur together, the bond energies are additive and result in a significant force that is difficult to break.
