Shanxian Chemical

SUPPLEMENTS
  • Home
  • Molecules Forming Hydrogen Bonds With Water
  • Molecules Forming Hydrogen Bonds with Water

Molecules Forming Hydrogen Bonds with Water

Research on the formation of hydrogen bonds between molecules and water

Between heaven and earth, everything is composed of molecules, and the hydrogen bond formed by molecules and water is related to many physical properties and chemical properties, which is the key to chemistry. Now let's investigate what kind of molecules can form hydrogen bonds with water.

Those who can form hydrogen bonds with water are the first to include atoms with large electronegativity and small radius, such as nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, etc. Take ethanol as an example. Its molecules contain hydroxyl groups (OH), and oxygen atoms are electronegative and connected to hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen in water is partially positively charged, and hydroxyl oxygen in ethanol is partially negatively charged. The two attract each other and form hydrogen bonds. Therefore, ethanol and water are mutually soluble, and the force of hydrogen bonds makes the two molecules closely bonded.

Furthermore, ammonia molecules ($NH_3 $) can also form hydrogen bonds with water. Nitrogen atoms in ammonia molecules are highly electronegative, and lone pairs of electrons on them can form hydrogen bonds with hydrogen in water. This is because ammonia is highly soluble in water. A large number of ammonia molecules are connected to water molecules by hydrogen bonds and are highly dispersed in water.

However, not all molecules can form hydrogen bonds with water. For example, methane ($CH_4 $), carbon electronegativity is smaller than that of nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine, the degree of electron pair offset between hydrocarbons is small, and hydrogen does not have a significant partial positive charge, so it is difficult to form hydrogen bonds with water. Methane has little solubility in water, because of its weak force with water molecules, there is no hydrogen bond.

In summary, atoms with large electronegativity and small radius such as nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine, and molecules with hydrogen atoms or molecules with lone pairs of electrons, can often form hydrogen bonds with water. This property has far-reaching effects on the solubility, boiling point, melting point, and many other properties of substances. Scholars should investigate it carefully to understand the wonderful theory of the interaction between molecules and water.