Hydrogen bond

Definition

A persistent intermolecular attraction between the positive end of one water molecule and the negative end of another, roughly one-tenth the strength of a covalent bond.

Hydrogen bonds are not true chemical bonds and create no new molecules; they constantly break and reform, each lasting less than a trillionth of a second. Each water molecule can form up to four, two through its hydrogens and two through its oxygen’s lone pairs, averaging about 3.4 per molecule at room temperature. Individually weak, collectively they give water its defining properties.

Related concepts

Polar molecule · Lone pairs of electrons · Hydrogen-Bond Network

How it connects

• this drives Specific Heat Capacity
• this drives Latent Heat of Vaporization
• this enables Water as a Solvent
• Polarity enables this

---

Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry