Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the second edition
- Preface to the third edition
- How to use this book
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Section 1 Clinical anaesthesia
- Section 2 Physiology
- Section 3 Pharmacology
- 1 Physical chemistry
- 2 Pharmacodynamics
- 3 Pharmacokinetics
- 4 Mechanisms of drug action
- 5 Anaesthetic gases and vapours
- 6 Hypnotics and intravenous anaesthetic agents
- 7 Analgesic drugs
- 8 Neuromuscular blocking agents
- 9 Local anaesthetic agents
- 10 Central nervous system pharmacology
- 11 Autonomic nervous system pharmacology
- 12 Cardiovascular pharmacology
- 13 Respiratory pharmacology
- 14 Endocrine pharmacology
- 15 Gastrointestinal pharmacology
- 16 Intravenous fluids
- 17 Pharmacology of haemostasis
- 18 Antimicrobial therapy
- 19 Clinical trials: design and evaluation
- Section 4 Physics, clinical measurement and statistics
- Appendix: Primary FRCA syllabus
- Index
1 - Physical chemistry
from Section 3 - Pharmacology
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the second edition
- Preface to the third edition
- How to use this book
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Section 1 Clinical anaesthesia
- Section 2 Physiology
- Section 3 Pharmacology
- 1 Physical chemistry
- 2 Pharmacodynamics
- 3 Pharmacokinetics
- 4 Mechanisms of drug action
- 5 Anaesthetic gases and vapours
- 6 Hypnotics and intravenous anaesthetic agents
- 7 Analgesic drugs
- 8 Neuromuscular blocking agents
- 9 Local anaesthetic agents
- 10 Central nervous system pharmacology
- 11 Autonomic nervous system pharmacology
- 12 Cardiovascular pharmacology
- 13 Respiratory pharmacology
- 14 Endocrine pharmacology
- 15 Gastrointestinal pharmacology
- 16 Intravenous fluids
- 17 Pharmacology of haemostasis
- 18 Antimicrobial therapy
- 19 Clinical trials: design and evaluation
- Section 4 Physics, clinical measurement and statistics
- Appendix: Primary FRCA syllabus
- Index
Summary
Intermolecular and interatomic bonds
The two main types of intermolecular bond are ionic and covalent, although weaker bonds, essential for intermolecular interactions, also exist. The structure of the component atoms determines the type of bonds within the molecule.
Atomic structure
When considering atomic structure, certain definitions aid understanding:
Atom – the smallest part of an element that can take part in chemical reactions
Element – a group of atoms all having the same atomic number
Molecule – a combination of atoms which is the smallest unit of a chemical substance that can exist while still retaining the properties of the original substance
Atomic number – the number of protons in each atom of an element
Knowledge of the basic structure of atoms is important in understanding the types of intermolecular bond and their functions. A schematic view of atomic structure is shown in Figure PC1.
An atom consists of a nucleus (central core) of neutrons and protons, surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. Figure PC2 shows the properties of these components. The charge of an atom is the number of protons minus the number of electrons. It is clear that almost all the mass of an atom is in the nucleus. The number of protons (atomic number) defines the element, and the atomic mass is close to the combined masses of protons and neutrons in the atom. Elements may exist with different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus while having the same atomic number.
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- Fundamentals of Anaesthesia , pp. 504 - 514Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009