Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
Have you ever wondered why some substances boil
easier than others?
2
For example, liquid
nitrogen when
exposed to room
temperature
immediately turns
into vapor.
3
On the other hand, water needs to be heated first to
be converted to steam.
4
The kinetic
molecular theory
states that matter
is composed of tiny
particles that carry
energy, interact
with one another
and are in constant
random motion.
particles in a gas
5
The interaction between particles and their strength
determines certain properties for that matter.
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In this lesson, you will discuss the
different types of intermolecular
forces of attraction and learn how to
predict the intermolecular forces
between specific molecules.
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What are the different
types of intermolecular
forces of attraction?
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Intermolecular Forces of Attraction
● Intermolecular forces are attractive forces
present in between molecules.
● The four main types of intermolecular forces are:
○ London dispersion forces,
○ dipole-dipole forces,
○ ion-dipole forces, and
○ hydrogen bonding forces
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Intermolecular Forces of Attraction
London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole forces are
collectively known as van der Waals forces of
attraction.
Johannes van der Waals 10
Ion-Ion interactions
Ion-ion interaction is the interaction between two
oppositely charged particles.
anion
cation negatively
positively charged
charged chloride ion
sodium ion (Cl–) 11
Ion-Ion interactions
Ion-ion interaction is also known as ionic bonds.
table salt sodium and chloride ions
12
Ion-ion interactions are between
electrically charged particles.
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Ion-Dipole interactions
ion-dipole interactions strengths of ion-dipole
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interactions
Ion-Dipole interactions
This type of interaction is responsible for the dissolution of
most ionic solids in polar solvents. 15
The partially positive end of the
polar molecule interacts with the
anion, whereas the partially negative
end of the polar molecule interacts
with the cation.
16
Dipole-Dipole interactions
Present in polar molecules which are described as
dipoles
Hydrochloric acid is a
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dipole.
The dipole-dipole
force exists between
the partially positive
end of one HCl
molecule and the
partially negative end
of another HCl
molecule.
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Hydrogen Bonding
An attractive force that exists when hydrogen is
bonded to the most electronegative atoms, namely F,
O, or N
Hydrogen bonding between formaldehyde and water
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Many unusual
properties of water
are attributed to
hydrogen bonding.
In water, the
hydrogen of one
molecule is
attracted to the
oxygen atom of
another molecule. 20
Hydrogen bonding can only be
exhibited when one molecule has a
hydrogen atom is directly bonded to
fluorine, oxygen or nitrogen atom.
21
London Dispersion Forces
● The weakest type of IMFA and are present in
between all electrically neutral molecules
● Named after the German-American physicist Fritz
London
Temporary dipoles between nonpolar molecules
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London Dispersion Forces
A nonpolar molecule has an equal distribution of
charges.
(a) (b) (c)
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London Dispersion Forces
At any instant, an instantaneous dipole may form.
(a) (b) (c)
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London Dispersion Forces
The instantaneous dipole may induce the
formation of another dipole (induced dipole).
(a) (b) (c)
25
The formation of instantaneous dipole can be observed in
nonpolar molecules such as O2.
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London Dispersion Forces
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London Dispersion Forces
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All electrically neutral molecules
exhibit London dispersion forces
(LDF).
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Induced Dipoles
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How are induced dipoles
created?
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
Recall that compounds can be classified as ionic or
covalent based on the types of bonds present.
● Ionic compounds ⟶ ion-ion interactions
● Covalent compounds ⟶ depend on polarity
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
● The strength of the ion-ion interaction is governed
by Coulomb's law
where F is coulombic force, q1 and q2 are the
charges of the particles, and r is the distance
between the particles.
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
Compoun Melting Compound Melting Compound Melting
d Point Point Point
(OC) (OC) (OC)
NaF 993 CaF2 1423 MgO 2800
NaCl 801 Na2S 1180 CaO 2580
NaBr 747 K 2S 840 BaO 1923
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
● Covalent bonds, on the other hand, involve the
sharing of electrons between two nonmetal atoms.
● Recall that polarity of the molecule can be
determined by identifying the polarity of the bonds
and the molecular geometry for the compound.
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
● Polar covalent compounds are molecules with a
net dipole moment due to unequal sharing of
electrons between the atoms.
● This causes the molecule to have a partial positive
(δ+) and a partial negative (δ-) charges, which are
also known as a dipole.
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
● Polar covalent compounds can either have
dipole-dipole interactions or hydrogen
bonding, depending on the presence of H and its
connectivity to other atoms in the compound, and
London dispersion forces.
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Notice that
H2O, HF, and
NH3 have
higher boiling
points than the
rest of their
groups
because they
can form
hydrogen
bonding.
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Some molecules have polar bonds
but are nonpolar as a whole. This is
due to the cancellation of the dipole
moment due to the molecular
geometry.
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
● Nonpolar covalent compounds are molecules
with zero dipole moment due to equally shared
electrons between the atoms.
● The only intermolecular force present in these
compounds is the London dispersion forces.
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
Polarizability is the measure of how easy it is to
distort the electron distribution of a molecule.
Polarizabilit Molar Boiling
Compound y, Mass, Point,
10–25 cm3 amu K
H2 7.9 2.02 20.35
O2 16.0 32.00 90.19
N2 17.6 28.01 77.35
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
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Predicting Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
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How can one determine the
intermolecular force present
for a molecule?
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In order to predict the intermolecular
forces between two molecules, you
must first determine the type of
compound present.
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Determine all the IMFAs present in the following
molecules.
1. CH3OH
2. H2S
3. (CH3)2CO (acetone)
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● Intermolecular forces of attraction are
attractive forces present in between
molecules.
○ Ion-ion interaction is the interaction
between oppositely charged particles.
○ Ion-dipole interaction results from the
electrostatic attraction of a molecule
containing a dipole and an ion.
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● Intermolecular forces of attraction are
attractive forces present in between molecules.
○ Dipole-dipole interactions are attractive
forces that are a moderately strong type of
IMFA and are present in between polar
molecules.
○ Hydrogen bonding is a special kind of
dipole-dipole force that exists when
hydrogen is bonded to the most 48
● Intermolecular forces of attraction are
attractive forces present in between molecules.
○ London dispersion forces (LDFs) are the
weakest type of IMFA and are present in
between all electrically neutral
molecules―polar and nonpolar molecules.
○ Induced dipoles occur when a nonpolar
atom becomes polar due to the presence of
an ion or a dipole. 49
● The strength of ion-ion interactions is
dependent on the coulombic force between
the particles. It is directly proportional to the
product of the charges and inversely
proportional to the distance between the
particles.
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● The strength of ion-dipole interactions depends
on the charge of the ion present.
● The strength of LDFs depends on the
polarizability of the molecule.
● Polarizability refers to the ease at which the
electron cloud can be distorted.
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52
Arrange the following in
increasing IMFA strength:
ethanol, ethylene glycol, ethane.
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