2.8.2

London Dispersion Forces

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Induced Dipole-Dipole Interactions

Induced dipole-dipole interactions are also known as London dispersion forces. They are formed from temporary dipoles.

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Temporary dipoles

  • The electron clouds around molecules are constantly in motion.
    • One moment, all the electron density can be on one side of the molecule. The next, it can be somewhere totally different.
  • This is called a temporary dipole - there are partial charges, but they change very rapidly.
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Induced dipoles

  • If one molecule has a temporary dipole, its partial charges will exert a force on nearby molecules.
  • The partial charge of one molecule can push away the electrons in another, or attract them towards it.
    • This means that temporary dipoles will induce dipoles in nearby molecules.
    • Once a dipole has been induced, it will be attracted to the initial dipole.
  • This is called an induced dipole interaction, or a van der Waals force.
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Strength

  • London dispersion forces are not all the same strength.
    • The strength depends on the number of electrons in a molecule.
  • Molecules with lots of electrons will have much stronger London dispersion forces.
    • This is because they will have larger fluctuations in electron density.
    • This leads to larger temporary dipoles and stronger dipole-dipole interactions.
  • The presence of electron-dense π-bonds also increases the strength of London-dispersion forces.

Jump to other topics

1Structure - Models of the Particulate of Matter

2Structure - Models of Bonding & Structure

3Structure - Classification of Matter

3.1The Periodic Table: Classification of Elements

3.2Periodic Trends

3.3Group 1 Alkali Metals

3.4Halogens

3.5Noble gases, group 18

3.6Functional Groups: Classification of Organic

3.7Functional Group Chemistry

3.8Alkanes

3.9Alcohols

3.10Halogenoalkanes

4Reactivity - What Drives Chemical Reaction?

5Reactivity - How Much, How Fast & How Far?

6Reactivity - The Mechanisms of Chemical Change

7Measurement, Data Processing & Analysis

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