Noncovalent Interactions in Large Molecules (College Board AP® Chemistry)

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Oluwapelumi Kolawole

Written by: Oluwapelumi Kolawole

Reviewed by: Stewart Hird

Noncovalent Interactions in Large Molecules

  • Many substances with very large molecular weight make up the structure of living organisms and tissues

  • Some examples include starch and cellulose, which abound in plants, as well as proteins, which are found in both plants and animals

    • These molecules are known as polymers and are made of smaller molecules called monomers

Chemical Structures of Starch and Cellulose

structure-of-cellulose-and-starch

Diagram showing the structures of the starch polymer made from the α-glucose monomers while the cellulose polymer is made from β-glucose monomers

  • Some important noncovalent interactions which occur in large molecules include:

    • Hydrogen bonding

      • Involves interaction between the polar hydrogen atom from an O-H or N-H bond and the lone electron pairs of very electronegative atoms such as nitrogen, oxygen and fluorine

    • Electrostatic/Ionic interactions

      • These are attractive interactions observed in molecules with permanent dipoles

    • Hydrophobic interactions

      • These interactions are seen between nonpolar molecules and polar molecules such as water

      • It explains why large biomolecules like oils do not dissolve in water

    • Van der Waals interactions

      • A type of interaction that involves polar molecules with permanent dipoles (dipole-dipole) or nonpolar molecules with induced dipoles

    • Some of these interactions have been studied and shown to be present between proteins and phenolic compounds found in plant-based foods

      • These interactions can affect the nutritional properties of food

Noncovalent Interactions between Proteins and Ferulic Acid

noncovalent-interactions

Diagram showing possible non-covalent interactions between proteins and Ferulic acid

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Oluwapelumi Kolawole

Author: Oluwapelumi Kolawole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Oluwapelumi is a Pharmacist with over 15000+ hours of AP , IB, IGCSE, GCSE and A-Level chemistry tutoring experience. His love for chemistry education has seen him work with various Edtech platforms and schools across the world. He’s able to bring his communication skills as a healthcare professional in breaking down seemingly complex chemistry concepts into easily understood concepts for students.

Stewart Hird

Author: Stewart Hird

Expertise: Chemistry Lead

Stewart has been an enthusiastic GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB teacher for more than 30 years in the UK as well as overseas, and has also been an examiner for IB and A Level. As a long-standing Head of Science, Stewart brings a wealth of experience to creating Topic Questions and revision materials for Save My Exams. Stewart specialises in Chemistry, but has also taught Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies.