CHM361

CHAPTER 1:

INTERMOLECULAR FORCES IN
COVALENT COMPOUNDS
 2

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Student should be able to:

 Explain the intermolecular forces.

 Identify the intermolecular forces.
 Differentiate the intermolecular forces.
 Explain the effects of the intermolecular forces to
the boiling point, melting point & solubility.
 INTERMOLECULAR FORCES

Weak attractive forces between molecules.

Forces that hold molecules together in solids, liquids and
gas.
Weak forces compared to the intramolecular forces that
bond atoms together within a molecule.
 INTERMOLECULAR FORCES

INTERMOLECULAR
FORCES

VAN DER WAALS

HYDROGEN
(LONDON DIPOLE DIPOLE ION DIPOLE
BONDING
DISPERSION)
 LONDON DISPERSION FORCES

• Attraction between instantaneous dipole with induced dipole.

• Also known as instantaneous dipole-dipole forces.

• The weakest intermolecular forces.

• Occurs in ALL molecules (polar & non polar molecules).

• In nonpolar molecules, this is the only intermolecular forces

that operates.
 Instantaneous dipole and
induced dipole attraction

• At any instant, movement of atoms/molecules, together with

their electrons, may result in the electrons gathering at one
side of the molecule.

• One side of the molecule will has higher electron density

(partially negative) while other side will has lower electron
density (partially positive).

• The molecules becomes a small instantaneous dipole.

 Instantaneous dipole and
induced dipole attraction

• If this molecule is close enough with another molecule, it will

induce a dipole on the neighboring molecule (induced dipole).

Uneven distribution of Instantaneous Induced

electron dipole dipole
 DIPOLE-DIPOLE FORCES

• Attractive forces between polar molecules.

• Exist between molecules that have dipole moment.

• Usually for molecules from two atoms of different element.

• The larger the dipole moment, the greater the force

• Or the more polar the molecule, the stronger the dipole-
dipole forces.
 DIPOLE-DIPOLE FORCES

• Molecules will have permanent partially positive & partially

negative charges.

• Dipole-dipole forces arise from the attraction between

positive end with negative end of another molecule.

Orientation of Polar Molecules in a Solid

 DETERMINETHEPOLARITY

1) Draw the Lewis structure.

2) If there are no lone pairs on the central atom, and if all the
bonds to the central atom are the same, the molecule is
nonpolar.

3) If the central atom has at least one lone pair and if the
groups bonded to the central atom are not all identical, the
molecule is probably polar.
DETERMINETHEPOLARITY
Molecule Lewis structure Polarity

CH4

AlF3

H2O

NH3

NO2F
 HYDROGEN BONDING

• Attraction between Hydrogen with highly electronegative

atoms (Fluorine or Oxygen or Nitrogen {FON}).

• H-bonding is stronger than VDW forces.

• The strength is proportional to the polarity of the bond.

• H-F > H2O > NH3 (order of electronegativity of the element).

 HYDROGEN BONDING

• N, O and F all have at least one lone pair to interact with H

atom in other molecules.
 ION DIPOLE FORCES

• Attraction between an ion (cation or anion) with a polar

molecule.

• The strength of this interaction depends on the charge of the

ion, the dipole moment of the molecule & the size of both
species.

• Cations interacts more strongly compare to anion having a

charge of the same magnitude.

• Cations with higher charge and smaller in size, interacts

strongly with water
 ION DIPOLE FORCES

Mg2+ ion, with higher charge and smaller, interacts strongly

with water
SUMMARY
FORCE INTERACTION
London Dispersion

Dipole - Dipole

Hydrogen Bonding

Ion Dipole
EFFECT OF FORCES ON BOILING POINT
&MELTING POINT
Dispersion Forces:
• Increase with the increasing of molar mass of the molecule.
• Increase with the increasing of size of the molecule (isomer).
• Increase with the increasing of polarisability
 Polarisability increased with increase of molar mass.
-the ease with which the distribution of electron cloud can be
distorted
-The larger the electron cloud (or the higher number of
electrons), the easier it is to be polarised
EFFECT OF FORCES ON BOILING POINT
&MELTING POINT

Dipole-Dipole Forces:

• Increase with the increasing of polarity.

EFFECT OF FORCES ON BOILING POINT
&MELTING POINT

Dispersion vs Dipole-Dipole forces

Size and Shape Intermolecular Forces

Comparable Dipole-dipole

One is larger than

Dispersion
another
 Trend in boiling points of H Halides:
 HF
 HCl
 HBr
 HI
Arrange the boing point in increasing order.
 Trend in boiling points of H Halides:
 HCl, - 85˚C; HBr, -67˚C; HI, -15˚C
 Stronger intermolecular forces result in
higher boiling points. The dipole moments
increase with the polarity of the H-X bond
 -Cl is more EN than I so HCl should have
a greater boiling point compare to HBR
and HI due to stronger dipole-dipole
forces.
 but this data suggests that HI has higher boiling point. It
shows that, London forces dominate dipole-dipole
interactions for these molecules since Iodine is larger than
Cl.
 HF is an exception because of the stronger force of attraction
between HF molecules resulting from hydrogen bonds acting
between the HF molecules. So HF has higher boiling point
than the other molecules in this series.
 EFFECT OF FORCES ON BOILING POINT
&MELTING POINT
Hydrogen Bonding
• Increases with the increasing of the electronegativities of the
elements. (Normality)
H-F > H2O > NH3 (order of electronegativities of the element)

• Higher if there are more H-bonding per molecule.

(Abnormality)
H2O > H-F > NH3
• Although F is more electronegative than O, but H2O can form
4 intermolecular hydrogen bonds. HF can only form 2
hydrogen bonds.
 Hydroge n Bonding Per Molecule
H2O HF NH3

4 Hydrogen bonding 2 Hydrogen bonding 2 Hydrogen bonding

 Two with the lone pairs on  one with the lone pair on
oxygen nitrogen
 Another two with two  the other with one of the
hydrogen atoms. three hydrogen atoms.

More hydrogen bonding. Fluorine is more EN than there will not be enough lone
Nitrogen. pairs to form hydrogen bonds
with all the three partial positive
hydrogens.
 EFFECT OF FORCES ON SOLUBILITY

• +ve ion of the solute is attracted th e - charged atom in

polar solvent molecule, and the –ve ion of the solute is
attracted to the + charged atom the solvent molecule.
on
Solute Solvent

Non-polar Non-polar

Polar such as glucose (C6H12O6) polar

Ionic such as sodium chloride (NaCl) polar

 SUMMARY

• In general, the strength of intermolecular forces increase in

this order:
dispersion < dipole-dipole < hydrogen bond < ion-dipole

• Dispersion forces operates on all molecules.

• Dipole-dipole operates on polar molecules, but compete with
dispersion.

• If hydrogen bond is present, it makes a significant contribution

to intermolecular interaction between molecules.
 REFERENCES

• Chang, R. (2005). Chemistry. Iowa, United State: McGraw-

Hill College.

• Silberberg, M. S.. (2006). Chemistry: The Molecular Nature

of Matter and Change. Iowa, United State: McGraw-Hill
Science.

• Intermolecular Forces. (2013). Retrieved from

https://www.coursehero.com/file/6556560/IntermolecularFor
ces/