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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 23
(2018) pp 192-197
An Updated Description of the Hydrogen Bond and Related Noncovalent Bonds
Steve Scheiner
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-0300, steve.scheiner@usu.edu
Published: 21 September 2018
Abstract. The
hydrogen bond is typically introduced briefly in General Chemistry as a simple
electrostatic phenomenon involving a small and select group of atoms, a
definition which is typically unchanged through higher levels in the
curriculum. But this definition has undergone dramatic modernization of which students should be made aware. The
original formulation in terms of only F, O, and N atoms has broadened very
considerably, encompassing C as well as atoms from lower rows in the periodic
table. The influence of hybridization, substituents, and overall charge cannot
be overlooked. In addition to the Coulombic attraction, there are other
“covalent” contributors such as charge transfer and polarization. Further
broadening has occurred with the recognition that the bridging H can be
replaced by a host of electronegative atoms in what have come to be denoted
halogen, chalcogen, pnicogen, and tetrel bonds, with behavior very similar to
H-bonds.
Key Words: Chemistry by Invitation;organic chemistry; infrared spectroscopy; molecular modelling app
(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: steve.scheiner@usu.edu)
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