What agents are known to break hydrogen bonds?

[Redpancreas]

What agents would you apply to break hydrogen bonds?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[akim6890]

What do you mean specifically? Like the intermolecular force hydrogen bonding? or bonds between hydrogens? or any atom to hydrogen?

 

[Redpancreas]

What do you mean specifically? Like the intermolecular force hydrogen bonding? or bonds between hydrogens? or any atom to hydrogen?

Like, for example, proteins hydrogen bond within each other to form alpha helices in integral proteins within a plasma membrane. What kind of agents can disrupt those kinds of hydrogen bonds? So I mean hydrogen bonding to an N or O (not F in orgo)...

Anyone know....

Gdn, Urea, something else? Plz help...

Also, "doesn't matter for the MCAT" would be an acceptable answer, if and only if, you're relatively sure.


Thanks!

 

[SpecterGT260]

Like, for example, proteins hydrogen bond within each other to form alpha helices in integral proteins within a plasma membrane. What kind of agents can disrupt those kinds of hydrogen bonds? So I mean hydrogen bonding to an N or O (not F in orgo)...

Anyone know....

Gdn, Urea, something else? Plz help...

Also, "doesn't matter for the MCAT" would be an acceptable answer, if and only if, you're relatively sure.


Thanks!

Detergents, changes in PH, or even changing from an aqueous to non aqueous environment. Remember, hydrogen bonds aren't true bonds. They are just associations between hydrogen and a few select atoms via weak interactions. There are actually helper proteins which have non aqueous internal environments to facilitate proper protein folding- all via hydrogen bonds. If a protein is misfolded it can re enter one of these other proteins to try again.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

 

[mcloaf]

I have no idea what an exhaustive list would be, but a good one to know is sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). This is used to break apart secondary structure for running protein gels (SDS-PAGE). Not sure if you'll need this on the MCAT or not. 🙂

 

[Leonardo Noto]

Another common "agent" that can break hydrogen bonds is heat.

 

[Bucanneer]

Like, for example, proteins hydrogen bond within each other to form alpha helices in integral proteins within a plasma membrane. What kind of agents can disrupt those kinds of hydrogen bonds? So I mean hydrogen bonding to an N or O (not F in orgo)...

Anyone know....

Gdn, Urea, something else? Plz help...

Also, "doesn't matter for the MCAT" would be an acceptable answer, if and only if, you're relatively sure.


Thanks!

From what I learned in biochemistry, guanidium ion/guanidine isothiocyanate and urea are planar chaotropes, which prevent water molecules from forming extensive hydrogen bonds with one another whenever a hydrophobic portion of a protein sticks out (thus adding these chaotropes would reduce the ordered conformation of water and prevent an unfavorable drop in entropy). I highly doubt this would come up on the MCAT though.