Hidrogénkötést

Hidrogénkötést, or hydrogen bond, is a type of intermolecular force that forms when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine) interacts with another electronegative atom possessing a lone pair of electrons. Though weaker than covalent or ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds significantly influence the properties of many substances.

Common examples include water (H₂O), where each oxygen atom forms hydrogen bonds with hydrogen atoms of neighboring water molecules, and the DNA double helix, where hydrogen bonds stabilize the pairing of complementary nucleotide bases. In biological systems, hydrogen bonds are critical for maintaining the structure of proteins and nucleic acids. They also affect the physical properties of liquids like water, such as its high boiling point and surface tension.

Understanding hydrogen bonds is essential in chemistry, biology, and materials science, as they explain macroscopic behaviors at the molecular level.