Covalent bonds result from a sharing of electrons between two atoms
and hold most biomolecules together.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES [ edit ]
Describe the formation of covalent bonds
Compare the relative strength of different types of bonding interactions
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
A polar covalent bond arises when two atoms of different electronegativity share
two electrons unequally.
A non­polar covalent bond is one in which the electrons are shared equally between two atoms.
Hydrogen bonds and Van Der Waals are responsible for the folding of proteins, the binding
of ligands to proteins, and many other processes between molecules.
TERMS [ edit ]
covalent bond
A type of chemical bond where two atoms are connected to each other by the sharing of two or
more electrons.
hydrogen bond
A weak bond in which a hydrogen atom in one molecule is attracted to an electronegative atom
(usually nitrogen or oxygen) in the same or different molecule.
dipole
Any object (such as a magnet, polar molecule or antenna), that is oppositely charged at two points
(or poles).
EXAMPLES [ edit ]
Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is the most­commonly usedcofactor in all of biology. Its
biosynthesis involves breaking the triple bond of molecular nitrogen, or N2, followed by the
formation of several carbon­nitrogen single and double bonds.
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Covalent Bonds and Other
Bonds and Interactions
The octet rule can be satisfied by the
sharing of electronsbetween atoms to
form covalent bonds. These bonds are
stronger and much more common than
are ionic bonds in themolecules of living
organisms. Covalent bonds are commonly
found in carbon­based organic molecules,
such as DNA andproteins. Covalent bonds
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are also found in inorganicmolecules such as H2O, CO2, and O2. One, two, or three pairs of
electrons may be shared between two atoms, making single, double, and triple bonds,
respectively. The more covalent bonds between two atoms, the stronger their connection.
Thus, triple bonds are the strongest.
The strength of different levels of covalent bonding is one of the main reasons living
organisms have a difficult time in acquiring nitrogen for use in constructing nitrogenous
molecules, even though molecular nitrogen, N2, is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere.
Molecular nitrogen consists of two nitrogen atoms triple bonded to each other. The resulting
strong triple bond makes it difficult for living systems to break apart this nitrogen in order to
use it as constituents of biomolecules, such as proteins, DNA, and RNA.
The formation of water molecules is an example of covalent bonding. The hydrogen and
oxygen atoms that combine to form water molecules are bound together by covalent bonds.
The electron from the hydrogen splits its time between the incomplete outer shell of the
hydrogen atom and the incomplete outer shell of the oxygen atom. In return, the oxygen
atom shares one of its electrons with the hydrogen atom, creating a two­electron single
covalent bond. To completely fill the outer shell of oxygen, which has six electrons in its
outer shell, two electrons (one from each hydrogen atom) are needed. Each hydrogen atom
needs only a single electron to fill its outer shell, hence the well­known formula H2O. The
electrons that are shared between the twoelements fill the outer shell of each, making both
elements more stable.
Polar Covalent Bonds
There are two types of covalent bonds: polar and nonpolar. In a polar covalent bond, the
electrons are unequally shared by the atoms because they are more attracted to one nucleus
than the other . The relative attraction of an atom to an electron is known as its
electronegativity: atoms that are more attracted to an electron are considered to be more
electronegative. Because of the unequal distribution of electrons between the atoms of
different elements, a slightly positive (δ+) or slightly negative (δ­) charge develops. This
partial charge is known as a dipole; this is an important property of water and accounts for
many of its characteristics. The dipole in water occurs because oxygen has a higher
electronegativity than hydrogen, which means that the shared electrons spend more time in
the vicinity of the oxygen nucleus than they do near the nucleus of the hydrogen atoms.
Polar and Nonpolar Covalent Bonds
Whether a molecule is polar or nonpolar depends both on bond type and molecular shape. Both water
and carbon dioxide have polar covalent bonds, but carbon dioxide is linear, so the partial charges on the
molecule cancel each other out.
Nonpolar Covalent Bonds
Nonpolar covalent bonds form between two atoms of the same element or between different
elements that share electrons equally. For example, molecular oxygen (O2) is nonpolar
because the electrons will be equally distributed between the two oxygen atoms. The four
bonds of methane are also considered to be nonpolar because the electronegativies of carbon
and hydrogen are nearly identical.
Hydrogen Bonds and Van Der Waals Interactions
Not all bonds are ionic or covalent; weaker bonds can also form between molecules. Two
types of weak bonds that frequently occur are hydrogen bonds and van der Waals
interactions. Without these two types of bonds, life as we know it would not exist.
Hydrogen bonds provide many of the critical, life­sustaining properties of water and also
stabilize the structures of proteins and DNA, the building block of cells. When polar covalent
bonds containing hydrogen are formed, the hydrogen atom in that bond has a slightly
positive charge (δ+) because the shared electrons are pulled more strongly toward the other
element and away from the hydrogen atom. Because the hydrogen has a slightly positive
charge, it's attracted to neighboring negative charges. The weak interaction between the δ+
charge of a hydrogen atom from one molecule and the δ­ charge of a more electronegative
atom is called a hydrogen bond. Individual hydrogen bonds are weak and easily broken;
however, they occur in very large numbers in water and in organic polymers, and the
additive force can be very strong. For example, hydrogen bonds are responsible for zipping
together the DNA double helix.
Like hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions are weak interactions between molecules.
Van der Waals attractions can occur between any two or more molecules and are dependent
on slight fluctuations of the electron densities, which can lead to slight temporary dipoles
around a molecule. For these attractions to happen, the molecules need to be very close to
one another. These bonds, along with hydrogen bonds, help form the three­dimensional
structures of the proteins in our cells that are required for their proper function.
Adenosine Triphosphate, ATP
Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, is the most commonly used cofactorin nature. Its biosynthesis involves
the fixation of nitrogen to provide feedstocks that eventually produce the carbon­nitrogen bonds it
contains.