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hydrogen bond A hydrogen bond is a type of intermolecular force between charges located on different molecules or different parts of one large molecule. Although stronger than most other intermolecular forces, hydrogen bonds are much weaker than both the ionic and covalent bond. As the name implies, one part of the bond involves a hydrogen atom. The hydrogen must be attached to a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen. This electronegative element has the effect of removing the electron cloud surrounding the hydrogen nucleus, leaving the atom with a positive partial charge. A hydrogen bond involves the positive proton (hydrogen nucleus) becoming attracted to a lone pair of negatively charged electrons on another atom. |