Biochemistry:

Molecular Forces
Biochemistry Part 1
 Topics Covered in This Lesson
● Intramolecular Forces
○ Ionic Bonds
○ Covalent Bonds
○ Metallic Bonds
● Intermolecular Forces
○ Hydrogen Bonding
○ Hydrophobic Interactions
● Ions
● Functional Groups
● Properties of Carbon and Water
Intramolecular Forces
Interactions WITHIN Molecules
● These forces are ionic, covalent, or metallic
 Electronegativity
Electronegativity describes how strongly atoms attract electrons
● Example: Oxygen and Nitrogen are atoms with high electronegativity
 Electronegativity
Electronegativity describes how strongly atoms attract electrons
● Example: Oxygen and Nitrogen are atoms with high electronegativity

When sharing electrons, the molecule that is

more electronegative has a stronger hold on
electrons and becomes partially negative

The other molecule becomes partially positive

 Electronegativity
Molecules with
Which atoms is partially positive,
partial negative
which is partially negative?
and positive
regions are
called polar
molecules
 Electronegativity

If the two atoms have similar

electronegativities, then the
molecule is non-polar
 Electronegativity
View the chart of electronegativities.
Determine if each molecule is polar
or non-polar?
Intermolecular Forces
Interactions BETWEEN Molecules
● Examples: Hydrogen Bonding and Hydrophobic Interactions
Intermolecular Forces
Interactions BETWEEN Molecules
● These forces occur between atoms of different molecules or
between different regions of a large molecules
● These forces are weaker than intramolecular forces
● They indicate how molecules interact
● Also called “attractive forces”
● With sufficient energy, they can be broken
 Hydrogen Bonding
Hydrogen Bonding (H-bonding) is an association
between at atom with a partial negative
charge and a hydrogen with a partial
positive charge
● This bonding is weaker than ionic & covalent
bonds
● Although, many h-bonds can be strong
● Example: DNA has hydrogen bonds which
can be broken and reformed during DNA
replication
● H-bonding occurs between water molecules
 Hydrophobic Interactions
Non-polar molecules
● Don’t form hydrogen bonds Cell Membrane Structure
● Clump together when mixed with polar
molecules
○ Clumping of non-polar molecules is
called the hydrophobic effect
○ Think of OIL and WATER
● Are hydrophobic (water-fearing)

Polar molecules
● Are hydrophilic (water loving)
 Ions in Biological Systems
Atoms can give or take electrons to have a more stable valence shell
After this occurs, the atoms becomes an ion

Cation - Positive Ion

● When an atom loses electrons

Anion - Negative Ion

● When at atom gains electrons
Examples:
● H⁺ in cellular respiration
● Na⁺ for transport molecules across
cell membranes
 Functional Groups
Functional Groups: cluster of atoms that behave a certain way
● Each functional group has specific chemical properties
○ Example: they can make a molecule polar or acidic
Here is a glucose molecule.
It is a type of carbohydrate.
Do you see any hydroxyl or
carbonyl functional groups
on this molecule?
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Look at this molecule.
Does it have a carboxyl
group or an amino
group?

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Find the sulfhydryl
and phosphate
functional groups
in the following
molecules

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 Functional Groups
Structure and Shape of Molecules
● The 3D shape of a molecule can influence its behaviour and function

Structural Formulas Ball-and-Stick Model

Properties of Carbon and Water
All about Carbon!!!
● Organic compounds: compounds that
contain carbon
● Small atom: so it can form into rings, sheets,
spirals, double/triple bonds
● Needs 4 electrons, so it can easily bond with
atoms nearby to get electrons
● It can bond to 4 atoms
● It is the core atom of complicated structures
that make living things like ourselves
● Forms covalent bonds
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Properties of Carbon and Water
All about Water!!!
● It’s polar (helps with dissolving things, a.k.a a solvent)
● Hydrogen bonding
● High heat capacity (good at holding on to heat)
○ Oceans & Sweating
Cohesion = attraction between two like molecules (example: one
water molecule for another water molecule)

Adhesion = attraction between two different molecules

● Water has high cohesion. Although on some materials, water
has adhesive properties
How can water travel against gravity to go up
roots/stems in plants?
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 Properties of Carbon and Water
All about Water!!!
● It’s polar (helps with dissolving things, a.k.a a solvent)
● Hydrogen bonding
● High heat capacity (good at holding on to heat)
○ Oceans & Sweating
Cohesion = attraction between two like molecules (example: one
water molecule for another water molecule)
Capillary Action: Adhesion = attraction between two different molecules
water molecules ● Water has high cohesion. Although on some materials, water
adhere to roots/stem. has adhesive properties
Other molecules are How can water travel against gravity to go up
drawn in by cohesion roots/stems in plants?
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Additional Slides **Not on UNIT TEST for slides below
Two types of carbonyl groups in
monosaccharides:
An aldose monosaccharide has an
aldehyde functional group
A ketose monosaccharide has a ketone
functional group

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Reducing & Non-Reducing Sugars
The reducing sugars
- Contain aldose or ketose groups
- They are able to give electrons
- All monosaccharides, maltose and
lactose

The non-reducing sugar:

- Not able to give electrons
- Sucrose

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