Hydrogen bonding is responsible for many of the unusual properties of water (see Sec. 16.1). A simplified model represents a hydrogen bond as the electrostatic interaction of four point charges arranged along a straight line, as shown in the figure. 

(a) Using this model, estimate the energy that must be supplied to break a single hydrogen bond. 

(b) Estimate the energy that must be supplied to break the hydrogen bonds in 1 kg of liquid water and compare it with the heat of vaporization of water. Assume that the number of hydrogen bonds is equal to the number of molecules. Is it coincidence that these two quantities are similar? Explain.

Transcribed Image Text:

Hydrogen bond OH H OH H -0.35e +0.35e -0.35e +0.35e 0.1 nm 0.17 nm 0.1 nm