are generally strong and stable at room
temperature: that is, they’re not broken in
significant numbers unless subjected to heat
or to reactive chemicals, including enzymes.
Unlike salt, which dissolves into electrically
charged ions, covalently bonded molecules
that can dissolve in water generally do so as
intact, electrically neutral molecules.
Weak Bonds Between Polar Molecules:
Water A third kind of chemical bond, about a
tenth as strong and stable as covalent bonds, is
the hydrogen bond. The hydrogen bond is one
of several “weak” bonds that do not form
molecules, but do make temporary links
between different molecules, or between
different parts of one large molecule. Weak
bonds come about because most covalent
bonds leave at least a slight electrical
imbalance among the participating atoms.
Consider water, whose chemical formula is
H 2 O. The oxygen atom has a greater hunger