5 Reasons of why learning about bonding is important!
1. It factors into our daily lives!
a. In our body there are so many atoms bonding with one another. The whole essence of bonding is to make an atom become more stable, and in our body it is necessary for bonds to become more stable
2. Water-H20
a. It is important to learn about bonding because it is a huge part in water, which we use, everyday and are 70% made out of it. Water molecules are constantly jostling with each other, moving past each other, breaking and re-making hydrogen bonds with different molecules. The expanded structure of ice illustrates that hydrogen bonds have direction. In ice, hydrogen bonds contribute to the ‘diamond-like’ tetrahedral arrangement of the atoms in the lattice.
3. DNA & DNA Replication
a. The relative weakness of the hydrogen bond is important in DNA replication, for instance, as the DNA molecule must ‘un-zip’ for the strands to be copied. DNA also shows how important this alignment associated with hydrogen bonding is. Hydrogen bonding between the bases lies at the core of the double helical structure. The interaction between the bases involves hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonds can only form between certain groups, and this plays a part in the complementary base pairing which is essential to the function of DNA.
4. Proteins and Hydrogen Bonds
a. They give shape to large protein molecules. Proteins are built of long chains contains carbonal groups, amino groups, and regular intervals. Hydrogen bonding occurs between a hydrogen atom bonded to the nitrogen in an amino group and the carbonal oxygen atom. The correct functioning of all proteins depends upon their shape. Life depends on molecules recognizing and interacting with each other in specific ways. Such interaction is most efficient if the molecules involved have complementary structures – they fit together as would a lock and key.
5. Human Body
a. The processes of recognition and self-assembly are key to the functioning of structures such as chromosomes, ribosomes, and cell membranes where the specific aggregation of macromolecules of different types gives rise to the functional component of the cell. The basic process that allows cells to be made start with hydrogen bonding, and every atom fitting with another like a ‘lock and key’.
