[Del]

When studying biochesmistry in one of Leningher's volumes I often see oxygen anions being interchangeable with OH. Is this something that went over my head during high school years ago, or do negatively charged oxygens really attract a hydrogen?

[chenbeier]

No it attracts water.

O^2- + H₂O => 2 OH^-

[Babcock_Hall]

I am not sure exactly what you mean, but I will take a guess, using palmitic acid and palmitate as an example.  The structure for palmitic acid is CH₃(CH₂)₁₄CO₂H, and the structure for palmitate is CH₃(CH₂)₁₄CO₂^1-.  When I balance biochemical equations, I might write the structure as palmitic acid.  However, if one ever created palmitic acid in a cell, well over 99% would lose a proton and become palmitate.  That is because both the cytoplasm and the bloodstream are buffered.  I can see how this might be confusing when one first encounters it.