Lesson 6.
Types of Intermolecular Forces of
Attraction
Objective
differentiate the common types of
At the end of 1 intermolecular forces of
the lesson, attraction.
you should be
able to:
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Intermolecular Forces of Attraction
• Intermolecular forces are attractive forces present in between
molecules.
• Although there are many, four types of intermolecular forces of
attraction (IMFA) are most commonly observed.
• These are London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole forces,
ion-dipole forces and hydrogen bonding forces.
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London Dispersion Forces (LDFs)
• These are the weakest type of IMFA and are present in between all
electrically neutral molecules ― polar and nonpolar molecules.
• LDFs are caused by fluctuations in the electron distribution within
atoms or molecules.
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London Dispersion Forces (LDFs)
A temporary dipole induces instantaneous dipoles to neighboring molecules.
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London Dispersion Forces (LDFs)
• Molecules can have instantaneous dipoles when electrons move
around the nucleus.
Instantaneous dipole of O2.
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London Dispersion Forces (LDFs)
• Polarizability is the measure of how easy it is to distort the electron
distribution of a molecule. It can be related to how easy one can
squeeze a balloon: the larger the balloon is, the more squeezable it is,
and the stronger is its LDF.
• For example, bromine, Br2, bears more electron than chlorine, Cl2,
which means that Br2 has stronger London dispersion forces than Cl2.
The strength of LDF affects their boiling points.
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Dipole-Dipole Forces
• These are attractive forces that are a moderately strong type of IMFA
and are present in between polar molecules.
HCl molecule with partially positive and partially negative ends.
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Dipole-Dipole Forces
• 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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Dipole-Dipole Forces
Molecules with partially positive ends attracted to the partially negative ends of other
molecules.
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Ion-Dipole Forces
• This result from the electrostatic attraction of a molecule containing a
dipole and an ion.
• The strength of this force increases as the charge of ion increases
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Ion-Dipole Forces
The cation is attracted to the partial negative end of the molecule while the anion is attracted to
the partial positive end of the molecule.
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Hydrogen Bonding
• It is a special kind of dipole-dipole force and one of the strongest type
of IMFA.
• Hydrogen bonding is an attractive force that exists when hydrogen is
bonded to F, O, or N.
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Hydrogen Bonding
• Some molecules may interact with water even though they cannot
form hydrogen bonds themselves.
• A hydrogen bond donor is the molecule that provides the hydrogen
atom in the hydrogen bond while a hydrogen bond acceptor is the
molecule containing the lone-pair bearing electronegative atom.
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Hydrogen Bonding
Hydrogen bond formation between water and formaldehyde.
Key Points
Intermolecular forces are attractive forces present in between
1 molecules.
London dispersion forces are caused by fluctuations in the electron
2 distribution within atoms or molecules.
Dipole-dipole forces result from electrical interactions among
3 dipoles on neighboring molecules.
Key Points
Ion-dipole forces result from the electrostatic attraction of a
4 molecule containing a dipole and an ion.
Hydrogen bonding is a special kind of dipole-dipole force which
5 exists when hydrogen is bonded to F, O, or N.
Check Your Understanding
Assess if the following statements are true or false.
1. It is possible for a molecule not to exhibit any IMFA.
2. Hydrogen bonding involves the sharing of electrons between
hydrogen of one molecule and F, O, or N atoms of another molecule.
3. Nonpolar molecules can have permanent dipoles.
Challenge Yourself
Carbon tetrachloride is a good solvent in many chemical
reactions. However, due to its adverse health effects, its use
in the laboratory has gradually declined. Will the compound
exhibit dipole-dipole forces? Why?
Bibliography
Brown T.L. et al. 2012. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson Prentice Hall.
Bettelheim F.A. et al. 2015. Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Ebbing, Darrell and Gammon, Steven. 2016. General Chemistry. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Reger D.L. et al. 2009. Chemistry: Principles and Practice. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Spencer J.N. et al. 2010. Chemistry: Structure and Dynamics. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
