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Interaction energy of an argon dimer.The long-range section is due to London dispersion forces. London dispersion forces (LDF, also known as dispersion forces, London forces, instantaneous dipole–induced dipole forces, fluctuating induced dipole bonds [1] or loosely as van der Waals forces) are a type of intermolecular force acting between atoms and molecules that are normally electrically ...
In molecular physics and chemistry, the van der Waals force (sometimes van der Waals' force) is a distance-dependent interaction between atoms or molecules. Unlike ionic or covalent bonds , these attractions do not result from a chemical electronic bond ; [ 2 ] they are comparatively weak and therefore more susceptible to disturbance.
The linear electric polarizability in isotropic media is defined as the ratio of the induced dipole moment of an atom to the electric field that produces this dipole moment. [ 5 ] Therefore, the dipole moment is:
The polarizability of an atom or molecule is defined as the ratio of its induced dipole moment to the local electric field; in a crystalline solid, one considers the dipole moment per unit cell. [1] Note that the local electric field seen by a molecule is generally different from the macroscopic electric field that would be measured externally.
The size of the induced dipole moment is equal to the product of the strength of the external field and the dipole polarizability of ρ. Dipole moment values can be obtained from measurement of the dielectric constant. Some typical gas phase values given with the unit debye are: [7] carbon dioxide: 0; carbon monoxide: 0.112 D; ozone: 0.53 D
A dipole-induced dipole interaction (Debye force) is due to the approach of a molecule with a permanent dipole to another non-polar molecule with no permanent dipole. This approach causes the electrons of the non-polar molecule to be polarized toward or away from the dipole (or "induce" a dipole) of the approaching molecule. [ 13 ]
The third and dominant contribution is the dispersion or London force (fluctuating dipole–induced dipole), which arises due to the non-zero instantaneous dipole moments of all atoms and molecules. Such polarization can be induced either by a polar molecule or by the repulsion of negatively charged electron clouds in non-polar molecules.
This originates from permanent and induced dipoles aligning to an electric field. Their orientation polarisation is disturbed by thermal noise (which mis-aligns the dipole vectors from the direction of the field), and the time needed for dipoles to relax is determined by the local viscosity .