What are Van der Waal forces ?

Van der Vaal forces are temporarily induced dipole forces. At any given time, the density of electrons in 1 atom will repel the electrons in another closely located atom, creating a dipole. Van der waal forces are the weakest type of interaction between molecules and exist in every compound, as every atom has electrons. Despite being weak interactions, in large molecules with lots of electrons, they can be significant. For example, van der waal forces are significant in hydrocarbons such as alkanes as there are no other interactions such as hydrogen bonds and dipole forces due to polarity.

ST
Answered by Saron T. Chemistry tutor

4315 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

How does the anticancer agent cisplatin work?


What is the acid dissociation constant, Ka of the 0.150 mol dm–3 solution of weak acid HA with pH of 2.34?


How are London forces (Van Der Waals) formed?


How can you tell if a reaction is endothermic or exothermic? Describe a way of determining if a reaction is exothermic or endothermic using simple laboratory equipment.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning