Covalent bonds. Intermolecular forces. Organic matter. And why food slices easily.
1-Minute NomNom
We use knives all the time in the kitchen to cut our food into slices. Our knives first use friction to make a split in the food surface, and when we exert further pressure, the knife slices through the food fairly easily. Try using the knife however on a plastic cup or a plate, and the knife does not cut as readily.
What makes food so much easier to slice through? The answer has to do with the forces of attraction and repulsion between molecules. The atoms in the plastic cup we mentioned earlier (and in plastics in general) are bonded to each other by covalent bonds. These are pretty strong bonds.
In comparison, food is held together by intermolecular forces such as van dar Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. They can be anything between 3x to 20x weaker than covalent forces, and are considered relatively weak. The energy needed to break them are much lower. Thus when you apply pressure on these weak intermolecular forces, they can be broken readily.
.
Like this? Form a strong bond with us by liking me and you will discover more! All you need is a minute a day to explore the world’s marvels through the phenomenon of food!
photos: in order – depositphotos/tommasolizzul; mrhighsky; olhaafanasieva
