Learning Objective: To study how the presence of a lone pair on the central atom of a molecule contributes to Hydrogen bonding, a type of intermolecular attractive force.
Prerequisites:
Factors affecting the hydrogen bond strength (Chapter- Intermolecular Forces)
Number of active hydrogen bonds per molecule (Chapter- Intermolecular Forces)
Chapter: Fundamentals of Organic Reactions
Sub-topic: Lone Pair
Author's Note: Lone pair's involvement in Hydrogen bonding is significant in explaining several observed properties, like why water freezes in a crystalline structure or ice floats on water. It extends beyond chemistry to explain how protein structures in the body hold their shape, an immune response occurs when antigens and antibodies bind using H-bonds, and even explain the solubility of a large number of polar compounds in polar solvents like water, due to which life on earth exists. Still, not all lone pairs form Hydrogen bonds, and for those that do, some aren't strong like the others due to their directionality. This section shows the involvement of the lone pairs in hydrogen bonding that affects various physical properties of Melting/Boiling points, solubility, and more with an example.
Physical Properties Affected by the Lone Pair - Hydrogen Bonding
Molecules closely associate or interact with the same kind or different using intermolecular forces. One of the prominent intermolecular forces is the H-bonding, which affects the boiling/melting point, solubility, shape, and nature of compounds. Covalent molecules with highly electronegative atoms of Nitrogen (N), Oxygen (O), and Fluorine (F) possessing lone pairs show such a type of H-bonding, hinting at their involvement.
For example, the water molecule......
The strength of the H-bond is also affected by the lone pair orbital’s directionality.......

