INTERMOLECULAR

FORCES

What Holds Molecules to

Each Other

Types of Bonds

Recall that there are three

fundamental types of bonding.
1) Ionic bonding
2) Covalent bonding
3) Metallic bonding

Types of Bonds
Because ionic and covalent bonding
uses electrostatic attractions
between areas of full charge, the
resulting force of attraction is strong.
Ionic bonds are held together by
attractions between cations and
anions.

Types of Bonds

Covalent bonds are held together by

attractions between positive nuclei
and the negative electron clouds that
reside between them.

Types of Bonds

The results of these bonding

processes are the strongest,
commonly used mechanisms for
attaching atoms to one another.

Intermolecular Forces
Intermolecular forces are a
secondary method of holding a
structure together.
As the name implies, intermolecular
forces are forces that exist
BETWEEN molecules.
Bonds exist WITHIN molecules.

Intermolecular Forces
Some elements, such as the noble
gases, exist with intermolecular
forces and no bonding at all.
Intermolecular forces are what make
solid and liquid molecular
compounds possible.

Intermolecular Forces
Intermolecular forces are only
associated with systems that use
covalent bonding within the
molecules.
Intermolecular forces are not
encountered in systems that employ
ionic bonding.

Intermolecular Forces
Intermolecular forces exist in three
different levels of strength.
The three intermolecular forces (from
strongest to weakest) are hydrogen
bonding, dipoledipole forces and
London dispersion forces.

Intermolecular Forces
Polar molecules will have a partially
positive side and a partially negative
side, or a dipole.
The partial positive on one molecule
will be attracted to the partial
negative on a second molecule.
This attraction is an intermolecular
force.

Intermolecular Forces

Because the molecules are polar, the

force is either a dipole-dipole
attraction or a Hydrogen bond.

Intermolecular Forces
Because these attractions are
between areas of partial charge, they
will produce weak forces of
attraction.
A system that has this mechanism
holding the structure together will
break up relatively easily.

Intermolecular Forces
It will always break at the weak
links the dipole-dipole forces or
Hydrogen bonds.
The covalent bonds will remain
intact.

Hydrogen Bonding
The difference between dipole-dipole
forces and Hydrogen bonding is
subtle.
When hydrogen is directly bonded to
nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine, then the
system will be capable of Hydrogen
bonding.

Hydrogen Bonding
In these systems, the difference
between the electronegativity values
of the bonded atoms will produce
fairly large partial charges.
As a result, the resulting
intermolecular forces will be strong.
They will still not be as strong as a
true bond, however.

Hydrogen Bonding

Dipole-Dipole Forces

Attractions between oppositely

charged regions of polar molecules
are called dipoledipole forces.

Dipole-Dipole Forces

Dipole-dipole forces exclude those

molecules covered by Hydrogen
bonding.

Hydrogen bonding intermolecular

forces are about 10 times stronger
than dipole-dipole forces because
they involve large differences in
electronegativity, thus creating a
large electric dipole.

Dipole-Dipole Forces
Dipole-dipole forces depend on the
number of electrons.
Bigger molecules result in more
electrons, and more electrons mean
stronger forces.

London Dispersion Forces

Dispersion forces are weak forces

that result from temporary shifts in
the density of electrons in electron
clouds.

London Dispersion Forces

The electron
density
around each
nucleus is,
for a
moment,
greater in
one region
of each
cloud.

London Dispersion Forces

As a result each molecule forms a

temporary dipole.

London Dispersion Forces

When temporary dipoles are close
together, a weak dispersion force
exists between oppositely charged
regions of the dipoles.
Due to the temporary nature of the
dipoles, dispersion forces are the
weakest intermolecular force.

London Dispersion Forces

Dispersion forces exist between

noble gases and compounds that are
nonpolar.

London Dispersion Forces

Dispersion forces increase as the
mass of the molecule increases.
C2H6 (MW = 30.0 g/mol) has stronger
dispersion forces than CH4

(MW = 16.0 g/mol).

Intermolecular Forces

To determine what type of

intermolecular force a compound
has, ask yourself the following
questions.
1) Does the compound contain
hydrogen attached to N, O, or F?
If yes, the force is hydrogen
bonding.

Intermolecular Forces
Determine the number of bonds
from the Wetter Way and draw the
dash-dot diagram.

Intermolecular Forces
2) Does the central element of the
compound contain any lone pairs of
electrons or are different elements
attached to the central atom?
If yes, the force is dipoledipole.
If no, the force is London
dispersion.

Problem
1) Determine the type of intermolecular
force in each of the following
compounds.
a) BCl3

dispersion

b) Xe

dispersion

Problem

Determine the type of intermolecular

force in each of the following
compounds.
c) NH3

hydrogen bonding

d) CH4

dispersion

Problem

Determine the type of intermolecular

force in each of the following
compounds.
e) SO2

dipole-dipole

f) H2

dispersion

Problem

Determine the type of intermolecular

force in each of the following
compounds.
g) SO3

dispersion

h) CH3Cl

dipole-dipole

Problem

Determine the type of intermolecular

force in each of the following
compounds.
i) HF

hydrogen bonding

j) HBr

dipole-dipole