Signature Assignment

Josh Smith
Chemistry 1010
The aspect of Chemistry that intrigued me most was that of
intermolecular forces. Especially the dipole-dipole attraction in water
molecules, known as hydrogen-bonding. We learned in class that water
molecules are polar molecules, which means that they have dipole moments.
The fascinating thing about this is that when you place multiple water
molecules next to each other they will orient themselves in a manner
according to their corresponding charges. When the positive and negative
ends of these water molecules move into proper position, with the positive
ends and negative ends equally apart it is known as a dipole-dipole
attraction.
Although a dipole-dipole attraction is very weak compared to other
intermolecular forces such Ionic or Covalent bonds, it is much stronger in
water because hydrogen is bound to a highly electronegative atom, that
being oxygen. This occurs because the polarity of the bond is so strong.
Hydrogen atoms are also very small thus allowing the dipoles to be very
close to each other. This allows the attraction to be much stronger than it
would otherwise be. In this case, the particular dipole-dipole attraction is
called a hydrogen bond.

I had always wondered why water acted in certain ways. Like when
you fill the water up just a little too much and it seems to take on a sort of
dome shape above the cup. It has also been very interesting to learn that if
you gently put a paperclip on the surface of water, it floats. Despite the fact
that the paperclip is obviously much denser than the water it is floating on.
This is possible due to the hydrogen bonds between water molecules.
The intermolecular bond is strong enough to hold up a paper clip! There is
another more applicable reaction caused by hydrogen bonds. The boiling
point for water is much higher than it would normally be without these bonds
because of the amount of energy needed in order to break these
intermolecular bonds.
This, to me, was an explanation to a question I had had for years. It is
amazing to me that the reason water molecules are so strong together is
because of polarity and electronegativity. Chemistry helps those things that
seem ambiguous and strange become clear and understandable.

Zumdahl, Steven S. Introductory Chemistry: A Foundation. New York: Cengage

Learning, 2014. Print. page 342-343
For the picture.
"Difference between Hydrogen Bonds and Covalent Bonds." Difference Between. N.p.,
17 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.