Introduction

This is an informational blog talking about the molecule Glucose. This Blog talks about the molecules structure, bonds, and polarity, the attractive forces that hold this molecule together, and why you should endorse this Molecule.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Great Glucose


Glucose is a very complex molecule, however it is actually just a simple sugar. Cells use it as a source of energy. If you are looking for a fantastic molecule that will help you everyday, Glucose is the molecule to buy. Glucose is a polar molecule because of how the Oxygens and Hydrogens are arranged. The electrons are not evenly distributed around the whole molecule, therefore it is polar. The whole molecule is polar, and if another Glucose molecule came in contact with it, the Hydrogens would most likely bonds with the Oxygen of the other molecule forming a Hydrogen bond, which will be talked about later. Glucose is one of the greatest molecules in the universe, which is why you should buy the Glucose molecules over any other molecule out there. The rest of the blog will explain why!
Even though the molecule is polar it is still possible for the bonds of Glucose to be either non polar or even ionic. Glucose is composed of three different atoms. There are six Carbon atoms, twelve Hydrogen atoms, and six Oxygen atoms making the whole molecule C6H12O6. In the Electronegativity table, we can find that Carbon’s Electronegativity value is 2.5, Hydrogen’s is 2.2, and Oxygen’s is 3.5. Most of the bonds occur between Carbon and Hydrogen, leaving the difference of the Electronegativity values at .3. This symbolizes the polarity of the bond, and the bond between Carbon and Hydrogen is covalent. There are no atoms that pair up with each other except for Carbon and Carbon, meaning there are five non-polar bond in the whole molecule. Next are the bonds between Oxygen and Carbon. The difference between the two Electronegativity values is 1, much higher that the .3 of the Hydrogen and Carbon bond, however they are till polar bonds. In order for the bond to be ionic, the difference in Electronegativity values would have to e around 1.7 or so. The final bonds in the molecule are between Oxygen and Hydrogen. Again the electronegative difference between the two is higher than the others, but it is still around 1.3, which is still a polar bond.
            There are three main attractive forces that can be bonding any molecule. They are London Forces or Dispersion, Dipole-Dipole forces, and Hydrogen Bonds. Dispersion forces are those that are very weak, formed by very rapidly moving electrons, forming a temporary bond. Every molecule has this because all of the valence electrons are constantly moving. Dipole-Dipole is the electrostatic attraction from a positive end to a negative end of another molecule. Only polar molecules have this kind of attraction. The last kind of bond is Hydrogen bonds, which are strong but temporary covalent bonds that form between H and O, N, or F of an adjacent molecule.  Glucose has all three types of attractive forces because it is polar so it has Dipole-Dipole; London forces are in every molecule, and Hydrogen because if another Glucose Molecule came around the Hydrogens would be attracted to the Oxygens.
            This is one of the greatest molecules to have because all of the bonds are strong, it is very big and it gives you energy! It is helpful for your body, one because it does not interact with the amino acids of proteins, which doesn’t destroy necessary enzymes. It is used as an energy source in most organisms, from bacteria to humans. It is found in most carbohydrates, meaning it is attainable at almost any supermarket it one form or another, and most people eat it every day. It is also used as a precursor to make Vitamin C in the Industrial factories. Understanding Glucose’s structure has greatly contributed to the advancement of general chemistry. These are all reasons why Glucose is the molecule to use for everything!