Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Hydrogen bond acceptor: The atom, ion, or molecule component of a hydrogen bond which does not supply the bridging (shared) hydrogen atom.

A generic hydrogen bond. A is the hydrogen bond acceptor (shown in red), and X-H is the hydrogen bond donor. The hydrogen bond is indicated by -------.


In this hydrogen bond between water and ammonia, ammonia is the hydrogen bond acceptor (shown in red), and water is the hydrogen bond donor.


In this hydrogen bond between water and ammonia, water is the hydrogen bond acceptor (shown in red), and ammonia is the hydrogen bond donor.