Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Hydrogen bonds range from the very strong, comparable with covalent bonds, to the very weak, comparable with van der Waals forces. Most hydrogen bonds are weak attractions with a binding strength about one-tenth of that of a normal covalent bond. Nevertheless, they are very important. Without them, all wooden structures would collapse, cement would crumble, oceans would vaporize, and all living things would disintegrate into inanimate matter. An easy-to-read supplement to the often brief descriptions of hydrogen bonding found in most undergraduate chemistry and molecular biology textbooks, An Introduction to Hydrogen Bonding describes and discusses the current ideas concerning hydrogen bonding, ranging from the very strong to the very weak, with introductions to the experimental and theoretical methods involved. Ideal for courses in chemistry and biochemistry, it will also be useful for structural biology and crystallography courses. For students and researchers interested in supramolecular chemistry, biological structure and recognition, and other sophisticated concepts and methodologies, it provides a careful selection of key references from the vast hydrogen bonding literature.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface
• Chapter 1 Brief History
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Who Discovered the Hydrogen Bond and When?
• 1.3 Books on Hydrogen Bonding
• Chapter 2 Nature and Properties
• 2.1 A Simple Criterion and Some Definitions
• 2.2 Different Categories
• 2.3 Insight from Theory
• 2.4 Charge Density Studies
• 2.5 Geometry in Crystals
• 2.6 The Vibrational Properties
• 2.7 Electrostatic Potentials
• 2.8 Hydrogen Bond Lengths vs. van der Waals Radii Sums
• 2.9 What Makes the Hydrogen Bond Unique?
• Chapter 3 Strong Hydrogen Bonds
• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 The Hydrogen Bifluoride Ion: a Prototype Strong Bond
• 3.3 Other H- - -F Bonds
• 3.4 O-H- - -O Bonds
• 3.5 O-H- - -O Hydrogen Bonds
• 3.6 The Hydrated Proton
• 3.7 O-H- - -O Bonds
• 3.8 N-H- - -N Bonds
• 3.9 N-H- - - N (O, ) Bonds
• 3.10 Heteronuclear Bonds
• Chapter 4 Moderate Hydrogen Bonds
• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 In Gas Phase Adducts
• 4.3 Geometries from Crystal Structure Data
• 4.4 Intramolecular Bonds
• 4.5 Bond Acceptor Geometries
• 4.6 Transition Metals as Hydrogen Bond Acceptors
• Chapter 5 Weak Hyrdrogen Bonds
• 5.1 In Gas Phase Adducts
• 5.2 C-H- - -B Bonds in Crystals
• 5.3 C-F and C-Cl as Acceptors
• 5.4 Forced C-H- - -O and C-H- - -N Contacts
• Chapter 6 Cooperativity, Patterns, Graph Set Theory, Liquid Crystals
• 6.1 Cooperativity
• 6.2 Resonance Assisted Bonding
• 6.3 Polarization Enhanced Bonding
• 6.4 Bond Patterns in Crystal Structures
• 6.5 Use of Graph-Set Theory
• 6.6 Use of Bond Patterns to Synthesize New Compounds
• 6.7 Bonding in Liquid Crystals
• Chapter 7 Disorder, Proton Transfer, Isotope Effect, Ferroelectrics, Transitions
• 7.1 Hydrogen Bond Disorder
• 7.2 Proton Transfer
• 7.3 The Isotope Effect
• 7.4 Transitions in Ferroelectrics
• Chapter 8 Water, Water Dimers, Ices, Hydrates
• 8.1 Water: The Mysterious Molecule
• 8.2 The Water Dimer: a Theoretical Guinea Pig
• 8.3 Polymorphism of Solid H2O
• 8.4 Water Coordination in Hydrates
• 8.5 Water in Molecular Recognition
• Chapter 9 Inclusion Compounds
• 9.1 The Concept of Inclusion
• 9.2 Clathrates
• 9.3 The Clathrate Hydrates
• 9.4 Hydrate Layer Compounds
• 9.5 The Cyclodextrin Inclusion Compounds
• Chapter 10 Hydrogen Bonding in Biological Molecules
• 10.1 The Importance of Hydrogen Bonds
• 10.2 In Protein Structures
• 10.3 Low Barrier Hydrogen Bonds and Enzyme Catalysis
• 10.4 Hydrogen Bonding in Nucleic Acid Structures
• 10.5 In Polysaccharides
• 10.6 Water in Biological Macrocmolecules
• Chapter 11 Methods
• 11.1 Introduction
• 11.2 Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy
• 11.3 Gas-Phase Microwave Rotational Spectroscopy
• 11.4 Neutron Inelastic Scattering
• 11.5 NMR Spectroscopy
• 11.6 Deuteron Quadrupole Coupling
• 11.7 Diffraction Methods: Neutron and X-Ray
• 11.8 Computational Chemistry
• 11.9 Thermochemical Methods
• Appendix I Structural Data Bases
• Appendix II Effect of Thermal Motion on Observed Bond Lengths
• Appendix III Distance Dependence of Energy Contributions
• Appendix IV Some Useful Conversions
• References
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Since Jeffrey's well-written book is very complete with many references, it will become a highly used reference work. It provides much useful information such as characteristic geometries for particular hydrogen bonding patterns, and it even contains conversion factors between commonly used units for energy and distance. The author, an expert in hydrogen bonding, starts with a brief history of the subject, which provides insight into the problems that are faced when one tries to define and explain hydrogen bonding. The next chapter deals with the nature and properties of the hydrogen bond as determined from experimental and theoretical studies. There is a chapter on patterns of hydrogen bonds in crystal structures and chapters on the geometry of various hydrogen bonding schemes as determined by crystal structure data. Other chapters treat hydrogen bonding as it appears in particular classes of compounds such as clathrates, inclusion compounds, macromolecules, hydrates, and ices. There is even a chapter describing different physical techniques used to study and analyze the features of different hydrogen bonds. Jeffrey writes in a way that will greatly benefit upper-division undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry students as well as more advanced graduate students and practitioners. M. Rossi; Vassar College

Author notes provided by Syndetics

George A. Jeffrey is at University of Pittsburgh (Emeritus).