Hydrogen Bonding

Hydrogen Bonding

  • Nature: Hydrogen bonding is a special type of intermolecular force that occurs when a hydrogen atom is bonded to highly electronegative atoms such as nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), or fluorine (F), and it forms a weak electrostatic attraction with another electronegative atom in a different molecule.
  • Atoms Involved: It involves three atoms: a hydrogen atom (H) covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom, and another electronegative atom from a different molecule.
  • Criteria: For hydrogen bonding to occur, three conditions must be met:
    • There must be a hydrogen atom bonded to a highly electronegative atom (N, O, or F).
    • An electronegative atom (N, O, or F) must be present in a neighboring molecule.
    • A lone pair of electrons on the neighboring electronegative atom should be available to form a hydrogen bond.
  • Strength: Hydrogen bonds are relatively stronger than typical dipole-dipole interactions and London dispersion forces, making them responsible for many unique properties of compounds.
  • Examples:




Types of Hydrogen Bonding:

  • Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding: This occurs between two separate molecules. For example, in hydrogen fluoride (HF), positive ends of one dipole attract negative ends of other dipoles, leading to clusters, (HF)n. In water, hydrogen bonding forms a polymerized molecule (H2O)n.
  • Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding: This happens within a single molecule, leading to ring formation or chelation. For example, aromatic alcohols like o-nitrophenol demonstrate intramolecular hydrogen bonding.


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