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Learning goals:
• What kind of interactions occur between different type of
molecules in water.
• Why water is a good medium for life
• Why nonpolar moieties aggregate in water
• How dissolved molecules alter properties of water
• How weak acids and bases behave in water: to be able to solve
weak acid problems with the Henderson-Hasslebalch equation.
• How buffers work and why we need them
• How water participates in biochemical reactions
Structure
ICE
Common H-bonds in Biochemistry
Some Biologically Important H-bonds
H-bond Strength and Alignment
Importance of Hydrogen Bonds
• Source of unique properties of water
• Structure and function of proteins
• Structure and function of DNA
• Structure and function of polysaccharides
• Binding of substrates to enzymes
• Binding of hormones to receptors
• Matching of mRNA and tRNA
Approximate Bond Distance,
Strength, kJ/mole nm
12-30 0.3
20 0.25
<40 -
Facilitates Proton
Hopping – see
later in
Photosynthesis
Osmotic Pressure
Cell Response to Osmotic Pressures
Plants Use Osmotic Pressure
Plants Use Osmotic Pressure
HA ↔H +
+ A-
K e = [H+][A-] / [HA] = Ka