Question

Van der Waals forces hold molecules together by: A. moving electrons from one molecule to another. B. attracting a lone pair of electrons to the positive charge of a hydrogen. C. inducing temporary dipoles that attract each other. D. sharing electrons between atoms.

Answer 1

The forces that are existing between molecules are known as intermolecular forces. These forces which are weaker than ionic and covalent bonds are classified into three types'

--> dipole-dipole attraction

--> VAN DER WAALS FORCES and

--> hydrogen bonding.

Van Der Waals forces was postulated by a Dutch physicist known as Van Der Waals. He postulated the existence of weak, short-range forces of attraction, which are independent of normal bonding forces, between non-polar molecules. He came to this conclusion after studying the behaviour of real gases at low temperatures and high pressures that:

--> electrons in a non-polar molecule such as hydrogen are close to one nucleus as to the other, although momentary concentration at one end of the molecule may occur,

--> this momentary concentration of electron cloud on one side create a temporary dipole in the hydrogen molecule, that is, one side of the molecule acquires a partial negative charge while the other side acquires a partial positive charge of equal magnitude,

--> the temporary dipole induces a similar dipole in an adjacent molecule,

--> this results in a temporary dipole-induced dipole attraction between the positive and negative ends of the adjacent molecules.

This is how weak Van Der Waals forces are set up. Therefore, option C is CORRECT which states that VAN DER WAALS forces hold molecules together by inducing temporary dipoles that attract each other.

Learn more about Van Der Waals forces here:

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