Bonding Symbols? Understanding Oxygen & Hydrogen Bonds

[FeDeX_LaTeX]

Hello;

I don't understand the symbols drawn on this diagram;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Wasserstoffperoxid.svg

I understand that the bond between the two oxygen atoms is a single sigma bond (illustrated by a -), but what are the bonds between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms on both sides (a thicker, triangular bond line and dotted lines)?

Thanks.

 

[Rajini]

hi,
it is just a representation to understand that the bond, which connects H and O, are perpendicular to each other!

 

[sjb-2812]

See perhaps http://courses.chem.psu.edu/chem210/tutorials/stereo-drawings/stereo-tutorial.html or similar - I wouldn't go so far as to suggest perpendicular, and indeed I don't think the relevant dihedral angle in hydrogen peroxide is 90 degrees.

 

[Borek]

Not perpendicular, just one is below the surface while another is above. Most often these are tetrahedral, but not necessarily, there is no rigid convention behind.

 

[LudusRex]

Hello,

Thank you for your question. The thicker, triangular bond line represents a double bond between oxygen and hydrogen atoms. This means that two pairs of electrons are being shared between the two atoms, resulting in a stronger bond than a single bond. The dotted lines represent hydrogen bonds, which are weaker interactions between a hydrogen atom and a highly electronegative atom, such as oxygen. These hydrogen bonds play important roles in many biological processes, such as protein folding and DNA replication. I hope this helps clarify the bonding symbols for you. Let me know if you have any further questions.