Why are polar covalent bonds and the resulting permanent dipoles so important in biology?
Many concepts in biology and biochemistry can be explained through the various interactions of chemicals with other chemicals. Polar covalent bonds are bonds in which the electrons aren’t shared equally between atoms , resulting in one side having a “positive” character and the other side having a “negative” character. The negative part of the molecule will attract the positive part of another molecule (or vice versa) and even though they don’t react with each other, this sort of dipole interaction is used throughout biology to: 1. stabilize large macromolecules (i.e. proteins) 2. hold molecules in position during chemical reactions 3. allow small molecules to signal information through membranes 4. and many more examples…
