States Of Matter I:

Intermolecular Forces
Gecko’s Hairy Feet

• Nanostructures on the
soles of gecko feet.
Thanks to about one
billion hierarchically
organized nanohairs, the
gecko can go for a walk
on walls and ceilings,
unlike people.

• Image: Max Planck Institute for Metals Research

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 Intermolecular Forces
Intermolecular forces are attractive forces between molecules.

Intramolecular forces hold atoms together in a molecule.

Intermolecular vs Intramolecular
• 41 kJ to vaporize 1 mole of water (inter)
• 930 kJ to break all O-H bonds in 1 mole of water (intra)

“Measure” of intermolecular force

boiling point
Generally, intermolecular
melting point
forces are much weaker than
intramolecular forces. ∆ Hvap
∆ Hfus
∆ Hsub

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 Intermolecular Forces
• Forces holding one
molecule to another in
a substance.

• van der Waals forces

• Dispersion forces
• London Forces
• Dipole-Dipole attraction
• Hydrogen bonding
• Ion-Dipole attraction

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 Relative Magnitudes of Forces
The types of bonding forces vary in their strength
as measured by average bond energy.

Strongest Covalent bonds (400 kcal/mol)

Hydrogen bonding (12-16 kcal/mol)

Dipole-dipole interactions (2-0.5 kcal/mol)

Weakest London   forces (less than 1 kcal/mol)

Strength of intermolecular forces determines

the phase of a substance at a given
temperature and pressure 7
 London Dispersion
Forces
The temporary separations of
charge that lead to the London
force attractions are what attract
one nonpolar molecule to its
neighbors.

London forces increase with the

size (polarizability) of the
Fritz London molecules.
1900-1954

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 London forces
Induced dipole – induced dipole
or
Nonpolar - Nonpolar interactions

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London Dispersion Forces

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 Intermolecular Forces
Dispersion Forces

Attractive forces that arise as a result of temporary dipoles

induced in atoms or molecules

ion-induced dipole interaction

dipole-induced dipole interaction

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 Polarizability
• The ease with which a molecule/atoms electron
cloud can be distorted, thereby inducing a
dipole moment.
• Increasing the number of electrons increases
the polarizability of an atom or molecule.

-More electrons  larger

distribution
-Distribution more easily polarized
since outermost electrons are less
tightly held by nucleus 13
Boiling Point Increases w/ IMF Strength

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Strength of London Force Depends On…

1.Polarizability (# of e- in molecules)

2. Surface area of interaction (more

diffuse electron cloud)

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Melting Points of Similar Nonpolar
Compounds
Compound Melting
Point (°C)
CH4 -182.5
CF4 -150.0
CCl4 -23.0
CBr4 90.0
CI4 171.0 17
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 Dipole – Dipole forces
or
Polar - Polar interactions

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 Dipole-Dipole Animation

http://chemmovies.unl.edu/ChemAnime/DIPOLED/DIPOLED.html Next 20
Why are these boiling points
different?

CH2O has dipole-dipole forces!

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 London Dispersion vs Dipole-Dipole
Compound Boiling Point
(°C)
CH3F -78.4
CCl4 76.5
CH3F is polar while CCl4 is not

CCl4 dispersion forces are stronger than the

dipole-dipole and dispersion forces of CH3F
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 London Dispersion vs Dipole-Dipole
As molecular size increases, london
dispersion forces become more significant
than dipole-dipole attractions

-More electrons  more polarizable

-Larger size  polar regions less
accessible/prominent

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 Hydrogen Bonds
hydrogen bond: a special dipole-dipole interaction
between they hydrogen atom in a polar N-H, O-H, or
F-H bond and an electronegative O, N, or F atom.

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 Hydrogen Bond

HCOOH and water

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Why are these boiling points
different?

Hyrdogen Bonding!
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Why is the hydrogen bond considered a
“special” dipole-dipole interaction?

Decreasing molar mass

Decreasing boiling point

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 Hydrogen Bonding in
DNA
Thymine hydrogen bonds to Adenine

H3C O H2N N OH
HO
NH N N O
O
O N N OH
O P
HO O O
P OH
O
HO
T A

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Hydrogen Bonding in DNA
Cytosine hydrogen bonds to Guanine

NH2 O N OH
HO
N HN N O
O
O N OH
N P
O
HO O H2N O
P OH
O
HO
C G

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 Intermolecular Forces

Ion-Dipole Forces

Attractive forces between an ion and a polar molecule

Ion-Dipole Interaction

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 What type(s) of intermolecular forces exist
between each of the following molecules?

HBr
HBr is a polar molecule: dipole-dipole forces. There are also
dispersion forces between HBr molecules.

CH4
CH4 is nonpolar: dispersion forces.

S
O
O
SO2
SO2 is a polar molecule: dipole-dipole forces. There are also
dispersion forces between SO2 molecules.
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 Homework

p. 500 #36
p. 501 # 38, 40 a-b, 44

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