Chemical Association

chemical association, the aggregation of atoms or molecules into larger units held together by forces weaker than chemical bonds that bind atoms in molecules. The term is usually restricted to the formation of aggregates of like molecules or atoms. Polymerization also denotes the formation of larger units by the union of like small units but usually with chemical bonds between the smaller units.

The molecular aggregate formed by association is commonly known as an association complex. Because of the weakness of the forces holding the small units together, an equilibrium is often observed between an association complex and the corresponding simple molecules. The equilibrium mixture behaves chemically much as would the small molecules by themselves, because the removal of some by chemical reaction shifts the equilibrium in such a way as to disassociate more of the aggregate in accordance with the law of mass action.

The forces tending to make like molecules associate are of three kinds. Most important is the hydrogen bond (or bridge), in which a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom forms a bridge to another electronegative atom. If these two electronegative atoms are in different molecules, the formation of the bridge unites the two. Molecules may also be held together, if the temperature is not too high, by dipolar attraction, resulting from the separation of positive and negative charges in each molecule. The molecule as a whole may be polar, one part having an excess of positive charge and another an excess of negative charge, or it may contain polar groups. At sufficiently low temperatures the relatively weak London forces (i.e., forces acting between any two atoms brought close together) may also be strong enough to produce molecular association.

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Water is one of the most highly associated compounds. An ice crystal is a giant network of water molecules held together by hydrogen bonds. In liquid water the molecules are connected to one another in much the same manner as in ice, but less regularly, and the hydrogen bonds are constantly broken and formed.