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Intermolecular Forces

  • The forces that exist between neutral molecules are known as the van der Waals forces
  • There are three general types of forces that can exist between neutral molecules.
  • In order of increasing strength these are:
    • induced dipole - induced dipole (London or dispersion forces)
    • dipole - induced dipole
    • dipole - dipole (which includes hydrogen bonds)
These forces are important because they influence the properties (physical, chemical and biological) of molecules such as melting point, boiling point, solubility and reactivity.
The important thing to remember is that increasing the strength of the intermolecular forces increases the amount of energy required to separate the molecules - hence higher melting or boiling points.


 © Dr. Ian Hunt, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

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