# Breaking Bonds **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bonds/632242 "2012-08-22T02:40:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bonds/632242/1 "2012-08-22T02:40:01Z")
Today I was looking at a torn seam on my jeans. My jeans are made of cotton, and cotton is made of molecules bonded together. How many molecular bonds are there in a given area of cotton? How many bonds are broken each time we sit down, walk around, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bonds/632242/2 "2012-08-23T03:11:13Z")
No molecular chemists in the house tonight? ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bonds/632242/3 "2012-08-23T03:27:56Z")
For a WAG, let me suppose that the width of a cellulose molecule is about 1 nanometer (10 angstroms), and just for kicks, let’s suppose the fibers are packed as tightly as possible, so that’s about one fiber in 10^(-18) square meters. If I break this bundle of fibers, I will need to break a covalent bond on each fiber. Actually, the breaks may all occur at the spaces between separate molecules and instead of covalent bonds, I will break a bunch of hydrogen bonds between each fiber and its neighbors, but let’s ignore that. Of course, a cotton fiber won’t be solidly packed cellulose and the threads of the fabric won’t be solidly packed cotton fibers, but we’re talking a seriously huge number of bonds, something like 10^18 per square meter, or 10^14 per square centimeter.