Answer to Question #60509 in Chemistry for Tim

Question

With the aid of examples explain the nature of weak van der waals forces .

Answer 1

Van der Waals forces are attractive forces that hold molecules close together. These attractive forces are more commonly referred to as intermolecular forces (IMF). The three most common types of Van der Waals forces (intermolecular forces), listed below from weakest to strongest, are:
1. London Dispersion forces
2. Dipole-Dipole forces
3. Hydrogen [bonding].
Van der Waals forces are much weaker than chemical bonds, and random thermal motion around room temperature can usually overcome or disrupt them.
Intermolecular forces are feeble; but without them, life as we know it would be impossible. Water would not condense from vapor into solid or liquid forms if its molecules didn't attract each other. Intermolecular forces are responsible for many properties of molecular compounds, including crystal structures (e. g. the shapes of snowflakes), melting points, boiling points, heats of fusion and vaporization, surface tension, and densities. Intermolecular forces pin gigantic molecules like enzymes, proteins, and DNA into the shapes required for biological activity.