Final answer:
Hydrogen bonds are a type of weak intermolecular attraction, significantly weaker than covalent bonds but stronger than other dipole-dipole attractions and dispersion forces, contributing to the unique properties of water and biological molecules like DNA and proteins.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hydrogen bonds are more like a type of weak attraction than true bonds. These bonds are considered intermolecular, which means they occur between molecules, compared to intramolecular bonds such as covalent bonds that occur within a molecule.
Hydrogen bonds, which are significantly weaker than covalent bonds, are about 5 to 10% as strong. Despite this, they are considerably stronger than most other dipole-dipole attractions and dispersion forces.
A hydrogen bond is typically found where a hydrogen atom, covalently bonded to a highly electronegative element like oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine, is attracted to a lone pair of electrons on a neighboring molecule. This special type of dipole-dipole attraction contributes to the unique properties of water, as well as the structure of DNA and proteins.