Chapter 3 Water

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A. Structure

individual molecule

distorted tetrahedral shape

dipole moment

aggregate structure

B. Properties

specific heat – high relative to its molecular weight; protective value:

minimizes cellular T fluctuations

heat of vaporization – again high

solubility of ionic/polar compounds

solubility of organic compounds

determined by polarity/ability to form H-bonds

generalization – most organics with 5 or more carbons

are relatively insoluble in water

C. Non-covalent interactions in aqueous solution

relative magnitude

1. electrostatic interactions

ion-ion interactions

examples

salt

"salt bridges"

or ion pairing

ion-dipole interactions

examples salt in H20

2. hydrogen bonding

many possible pairings

small

van der Waals (short-range)

dipole-dipole

dipole-transient dipole

3. hydrophobic interactions

D. Acids and bases

pH calculations

strong acids

weak acids: incomplete dissociation

(Henderson-Hasselbach)

titration curves

buffers:

effective range of buffering by HA and A- is

from one unit above to one below pKa