Intramolecular forces covalent bonding

You have learned that pure covalent compounds are not held together by ionic bonds in lattice structures. They do form liquids and solids at low temperatures, however. Something must hold the molecules together when a covalent compound is in its liquid or solid state. The forces that bond the atoms to each other within a molecule are called intramolecular forces. Covalent bonds are intramolecular forces. In comparison, the forces that bond molecules to each other are called intermolecular forces. 

Strong intramolecular forces (covalent bonds) hold the atoms in molecules together. Relatively weak intermolecular forces act between molecules. 

The term polymer is derived from the Greek words poly and meros, meaning many parts. We noted in the last section that the existence of these parts was acknowledged before the nature of the interaction which held them together was known. Today we realize that ordinary covalent bonds are the intramolecular forces which keep the polymer molecule intact. In addition, the usual type of intermolecular forces—hydrogen bonds, dipole-dipole interactions, and London forces—hold assemblies of these molecules together in the bulk state. The only thing that is remarkable about these molecules is their size, but that feature is remarkable indeed. 

A number of different molecular mechanisms can underpin the loss of biological activity of any protein. These include both covalent and non-covalent modification of the protein molecule, as summarized in Table 6.5. Protein denaturation, for example, entails a partial or complete alteration of the protein s three-dimensional shape. This is underlined by the disruption of the intramolecular forces that stabilize a protein s native conformation, namely hydrogen bonding, ionic attractions and hydrophobic interactions (Chapter 2). Covalent modifications of protein structure that can adversely affect its biological activity are summarized below. 

At shorter distances, particularly those characteristic of H-bonded and other charge-transfer complexes, the concepts of partial covalency, resonance, and chemical forces must be extended to intramolecular species. In such cases the distinction between, e.g., the covalent bond and the H-bond may become completely arbitrary. The concept of supramolecular clusters as fundamental chemical units presents challenges both to theory and to standard methods of structural characterization. Fortunately, the quantal theory of donor-acceptor interactions follows parallel lines for intramolecular and intermolecular cases, allowing seamless description of molecular and supramolecular bonding in a unified conceptual framework. In this sense, supramolecular aggregation under ambient thermal conditions should be considered a true chemical phenomenon. 

Intramolecular bonds Forces which act within a molecule, for example covalent bonds. 

You can see the difference between intermolecular forces and intramolecular forces in Figure 3.20. Because pure covalent compounds have low melting and boiling points, you know that the intermolecular forces must be very weak compared with the intramolecular forces. It does not take very much energy to break the bonds that hold the molecules to each other. 

The incoming monomer unit would then be forced, either because of steric interactions, or by the interaction of its carboxyl group with lithium at the chain-end, to add in a specific manner to re-form the same loose ring structure present initially. One variant of this mechanism [192] involves a covalently bonded six membered ring formed by enolization of the active chain end followed by alkoxide ion attack on the penultimate carboxyl group. In polar solvents, or in the presence of moderate amounts of them, competition for solvation of the counter-ion would be produced and the intramolecular solvation producing the stereospecificity would be reduced in effectiveness as the ether concentration is increased. Replacing the lithium counter-ion with sodium or other alkali metal would be... 

If all particles of matter at room temperature have the same average kinetic energy, why are some materials gases while others are liquids or solids The answer lies with the attractive forces within and between particles. The attractive forces that hold particles together in ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds are called intramolecular forces. The prefix intra- means within. For example, intramural sports are competitions among teams from within a single school. The term molecular can refer to atoms, ions, or molecules. Table 13-2 summarizes what you learned about intramolecular forces in Chapters 8 and 9. 

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