Non-covalent interactions
A hydrogen bond (H-bond), is a specific type of interaction that involves dipole-dipole attraction between a partially positive hydrogen atom and a highly electronegative, partially negative oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, or fluorine atom (not covalently bound to said hydrogen atom). It is not a covalent bond, but instead is classified as a strong non-covalent interaction. It is responsible for why water is a liquid at room temperature and not a gas (given water's low molecular weight). Most commonly, the strength of hydrogen bonds lies between 0 - 4 kcal/mol, but can sometimes be as strong as 40 kcal/mol In solvents such as chloroform or carbontetrachloride one observes e.g. for the interaction between amides additive values of about 5 kJ/mol. According to L. Pauling the strength of a hydrogen bond is essentially determined by the electrostatic charges. Measurements of thousands complexes in chloroform or carbontetrachloride have led to additive free energy increments for all kind of donor-acceptor combinations.
Water
The hydrogen bonds are also the reason why the melting and boiling points of water are much higher than those of other analogous compounds like hydrogen sulfide (). They also explain its exceptionally high specific heat capacity (about 4.2 J/g/K), heat of fusion (about 333 J/g), heat of vaporization (), and thermal conductivity (between 0.561 and 0.679 W/m/K). These properties make water more effective at moderating Earth's climate, by storing heat and transporting it between the oceans and the atmosphere. The hydrogen bonds of water are of moderate strength, around 23 kJ/mol (compared to a covalent O-H bond at 492 kJ/mol). Of this, it is estimated that 90% of the hydrogen bond is attributable to electrostatics, while the remaining 10% reflects partial covalent character.