Bifurcated and Over-coordinated Hydrogen Bonds in Water
It can be that a single hydrogen atom participates in two hydrogen bonds, rather than one. This type of bonding is called "bifurcated" (split in two or 'two-forked'). It can exist for instance in complex natural or synthetic organic molecules It was suggested that a bifurcated hydrogen atom is an essential step in water reorientation.
Acceptor type hydrogen bonds (terminating on an oxygen's lone pairs), are more likely to form bifurcation (it is called overcoordinated oxygen, OCO) than donor type, beginning on the same oxygen's hydrogens.
Read more about this topic: Hydrogen Bond
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