Water and PH: Chapter 2 by DR Sumiya S. Fanlo

Water and PH
Chapter 2 by Dr Sumiya S. Fanlo

Objective
• Describe the properties of water that account for its surface tension, viscosity,
liquid state at ambient temperature, and solvent power.
• Use structural formulas to represent several organic compounds that can

serve as hydrogen bond donors or acceptors. Explain the role played by
entropy in the orientation, in an aqueous environment, of the polar and
nonpolar regions of macromolecules.
• Indicate the quantitative contributions of salt bridges, hydrophobic
interactions, and van der Waals forces to the stability of macromolecules.
• Explain the relationship of pH to acidity, alkalinity, and the quantitative

determinants that characterize weak and strong acids.
• Calculate the shift in pH that accompanies the addition of a given quantity of

acid or base to the pH of a buffered solution.
• Describe what buffers do, how they do it, and the conditions under which a
buffer is most effective under physiologic or others
BIOMEDICAL IMPORTANCE
• predominant chemical component of living organisms
• ability to solvate a wide range of organic and inorganic molecules, derive

from water’s dipolar structure and exceptional capacity for forming hydrogen
bonds.
• Excellent nucleophile
• Reactant or product in many metabolic reactions.
• Water has a slight propensity to dissociate into hydroxide ions and protons.
The concentration of protons, or acidity, of aqueous solutions is generally
reported using the logarithmic pH scale
WATER IS AN IDEAL BIOLOGIC SOLVENT
• Water Molecules Form Dipoles

Water Molecules Form Hydrogen Bonds
INTERACTION WITH WATER INFLUENCES
THE STRUCTURE OF BIOMOLECULES
Covalent and Noncovalent Bonds Stabilize Biologic Molecules
Biomolecules Fold to Position Polar & Charged
Groups on Their Surfaces
• Amphipathic
• Proteins tend to fold with the R-groups of amino acids with hydrophobic side
chains in the interior. Amino acids with charged or polar amino acid side
chains (eg, arginine, glutamate, serine)
• generally are present on the surface in contact with water

Hydrophobic Interactions
• refers to the tendency of nonpolar compounds to self-associate in an

aqueous environment
• Nonpolar molecules are not soluble in water because water molecules

interact with each other rather to nonpolar molecules
• --> nonpolar molecules are excluded and associate with each other (known
as the hydrophobic effect).
• Molecules such as detergents or surfactants are amphipathic (have both

hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions to the molecule).
OTHER NONCOVALENT INTERACTIONS IN BIOMOLECULES
1) hydrogen bonds
More important when they occur between and within molecules
--> stabilize
structures such as proteins and nucleic acids.
2) hydrophobic interactions
Very weak.
Important in protein shape and membrane structure.
3) charge-charge interactions or electrostatic
interactions (ionic bonds)
• Occur between two oppositely charged particles.

• Strongest noncovalent force that occurs over greater
distances.
• Can be weakened significantly by water molecules (can
• interfere with bonding).
4) van der Waals forces
• Occurs between neutral atoms.

• Can be attractive or repulsive ,depending upon the
distance of the two atoms.
• Much weaker than hydrogen bonds.
• The actual distance between atoms is the distance at
which maximal attraction occurs.
• Distances vary depending upon individual atoms.
Nucleophilic nature of water
• Chemicals that are electron-rich (nucleophiles) seek

electron- deficient chemicals (electrophiles).
• Nucleophiles are negatively charged or have unshared

pairs of electrons --> attack electrophiles during
substitution or addition reactions.
• Examples of nucleophiles:
• oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, water (weak).
Important in condensation reactions, where
hydrolysis reactions are favored.
• e.g. protein ------> amino acids

•In the cell, these reactions actually only occur in the presence of hydrolases.
•Condensation reactions usually use ATP and exclude water to make the
reactions more favorable.
Ionization of water
Pure water ionizes slightly can act
as an acid (proton donor) or base
(proton acceptor).

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Water and PH

Chapter 2 by Dr Sumiya S. Fanlo

• Use structural formulas to represent several organic compounds that can

• Explain the relationship of pH to acidity, alkalinity, and the quantitative

• Calculate the shift in pH that accompanies the addition of a given quantity of

• predominant chemical component of living organisms

• ability to solvate a wide range of organic and inorganic molecules, derive

• Reactant or product in many metabolic reactions.

• Water Molecules Form Dipoles

• generally are present on the surface in contact with water

• refers to the tendency of nonpolar compounds to self-associate in an

• Nonpolar molecules are not soluble in water because water molecules

• Molecules such as detergents or surfactants are amphipathic (have both

• Occur between two oppositely charged particles.

• Occurs between neutral atoms.

• Chemicals that are electron-rich (nucleophiles) seek

• Nucleophiles are negatively charged or have unshared

• e.g. protein ------> amino acids

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