Strong hydrogen bonds strength

The molecular structure of cellulose, unlike that of starch, allows for strong hydrogen bonding between polymer chains. This results in the formation of strong water-resistant fibers such as those found in cotton, which is 98% cellulose. Cotton actually has a tensile strength greater than that of steel. The major industrial source of cellulose is wood ( 50% cellulose). 

If the principal cohesive forces between solute molecules are London forces, then the best solvent is likely to be one that can mimic those forces. For example, a good solvent for nonpolar substances is the nonpolar liquid carbon disulfide, CS2-It is a far better solvent than water for sulfur because solid sulfur is a molecular solid of S8 molecules held together by London forces (Fig. 8.19). The sulfur molecules cannot penetrate into the strongly hydrogen-bonded structure of water, because they cannot replace those bonds with interactions of similar strength. 

Smallwood, C. J., McAllister, M. A., 1997, Characterization of Low-Barrier Hydrogen Bonds. 7. Relationship Between Strength and Geometry of Short-Strong Hydrogen Bonds. The Formic Acid-Formate Anion Model System. An Ab Initio and DFT Investigation , J. Am. Chem. Soc., 119, 11277. 

It has become clear in the past decade that strong hydrogen bonding has associated with it several characteristic properties. In particular, as hydrogen-bond strength changes, maxima or minima are observed in nmr chemical shifts, the isotope effect on the chemical shift A[5( H) — 8( H)] defined on p. 271, ir Vah/vad band ratios, and in the isotope-fractionation factor, p. 

Although there may be other very strong hydrogen-bond systems, it is still the case that the bifluoride ion represents the upper limit of hydrogen-bond strength. (If any system has both H and D above the internal energy barrier. 

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