Water

• Mammalian cells are 70% water

• 2/3 of our water is inside our cells, 1/3 is outside our
cells
• Why is water important?

• Water is the solvent for biological systems

• Hydrophilic compounds interact (dissolve) with water
– Polar compounds
– Ionic compounds
• Hydrophobic compounds do not interact with water
– Non polar compounds
 Polar vs. Nonpolar
• Polar – Unequal sharing of electrons
• Electronegativity – tendency to attract electrons

Element Electronegativity
Oxygen 3.5
Nitrogen 3.0
Sulfur 2.6
Carbon 2.5
Phosphorus 2.2
Hydrogen 2.1
 Water and Methane
Water is Polar because:
• Difference in
electronegativity
between O-H
• Bent structure –
non-linear
Methane is Nonpolar
because:
• Little difference in
electronegativity
between C-H
• Tetrahedral bond angles
 Carbon Dioxide
Polar bonds but non-polar compound because:
• Linear Structure – Equal and opposite attractions
 Hydrophilic Compounds
• Ionic compounds readily dissolve in water because of the ionic –
dipole interactions
• Non-ionic polar compounds dissolve in water because of the
dipole–dipole interactions
 Hydrophobic Interactions
• A non-polar substance does not readily dissolve in water
• The H-bond network of water reorganizes to accommodate the non-polar
solute.
• As a result, the non-polar substances tend to aggregate.
• A non-polar solute "organizes" water
• This is an increase in "order" of water
• This is a decrease in ENTROPY
 Amphipathic Molecules
• Molecules that contain both polar and non-polar
groups
 Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen bonding is one of the most important interactions in biological
molecules
• Hydrogen bonding is an interaction between a covalently bonded
hydrogen atom in a donor group and a pair of non-covalent
electrons on an acceptor group
• The ability of a group to act as a hydrogen bond donor depends on
its electronegativity
 Strong and Weak H-Bonds
• The strongest hydrogen bonds have the donor
atom and the acceptor atom 180o apart
• Non-linear hydrogen bonds are weaker
Biological Relevant Hydrogen Bonds
Importance of Hydrogen Bond
 Non – covalent Bonds or Forces
Non-covalent bonds determine the complexity of molecular
interactions within and between biomolecules
• Non-covalent bonds are 10 –100 times weaker than
covalent bonds
• Single interactions are typically not sufficient to hold two
species together
• The 3-D structures of most macromolecules are
determined as a result of the collective influence of the
many weak individual interactions
• Non-covalent bonds are reversible
• Non-covalent interactions are specific
• Size, shape and type of interaction all must be correct for
binding
Strength of Non-covalent bonds - Ice
 Amphiprotic Compounds
• Amphiprotic substance can act either as an acid or a
base.

•The ionizable species of water are in equilibrium .

 Water, Ionization and pH
• Kw is the ionization constant of water

- +
H2 O OH + H
+ - + -
[ H ] [ OH ] [ H ] [ OH ]
Ka = =
[ H 2 O] 55.5

Kw = Ka x 5 5 . 5 = [ H + ] [ OH - ]

Kw = 10 -14

• [H+] and [OH-] are inversely proportionally, as [H+] ↑, [OH-] ↓

• pH = -log10 [H+]
• If [H+] = 1 x 10 -7 M
• Then pH = 7