Biochemistry Intermolecular Forces
Biochemistry Intermolecular Forces
Biochemistry Intermolecular Forces
and other microorganisms can be eliminated by washing using soap and water . We
will explain this in terms of each intermolecular forces that is present in both.
Have you ever wondered how soap works while washing your hands?
When we mix soap with water, the sodium atom dissociates (or separates)
completely from the soap molecule, leaving its one available electron with the oxygen
atom, which becomes negatively charged. The positively charged sodium ion is
attracted to the slightly negatively charged oxygen portion of the water molecule. This
attraction is called an ion-dipole interaction, because the sodium ion is attached to one
of the poles (opposites) of the water molecule. As the soap dissolves, hydrogen bonds
form due to the attraction between the slightly positively charged hydrogen atoms in the
water molecules and the negatively charged oxygen.
When the soap attaches a molecule of grease to a water molecule through weak
London dispersion forces, a micelle – or ball-like structure of the non-polar tails of the
molecules clumped in the center – is formed for every particle of grease carried away by
the rinse water. The negatively charged oxygen ion of the micelle’s soap molecules
attach to the positively charged hydrogen atoms of the water molecules using hydrogen
bonds. The surface tension of the water is reduced, and the micelle containing the
grease goes down the drain.
People typically think of soap as gentle and soothing, but from the perspective of
microorganisms, it is often extremely destructive. A drop of ordinary soap diluted in
water is sufficient to rupture and kill many types of bacteria and viruses, including the
new coronavirus that is currently circling the globe.
Soap is made of pin-shaped molecules, each of which has a hydrophilic head —
it readily bonds with water — and a hydrophobic tail, which shuns water and prefers to
link up with oils and fats. These molecules, when suspended in water, alternately float
about as solitary units, interact with other molecules in the solution and assemble
themselves into little bubbles called micelles, with heads pointing outward and tails
tucked inside.
When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any
microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the free-
floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves
into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them apart. In tandem,
some soap molecules disrupt the chemical bonds that allow bacteria, viruses and grime
to stick to surfaces, lifting them off the skin. Micelles can also form around particles of
dirt and fragments of viruses and bacteria, suspending them in floating cages. When
you rinse your hands, all the microorganisms that have been damaged, trapped and
killed by soap molecules are washed away.