Answer:
London forces are important only at short distances (~500 pm).
London-dispersion force
The intermolecular force of attraction describes the forces of attraction that keep molecules together. These forces are responsible for the liquids, solids and solutions state of any compound. Some common types of intermolecular forces are London dispersion, dipole-dipole, Hydrogen bonding and ion-ion force.
- The weakest intermolecular force is London dispersion forces.
- The formation of temporary dipoles in a nonpolar molecule causes London’s dispersion forces, which can be described as a temporary attractive force.
- Interaction energy is inversely proportional to the sixth power of the distance between two interacting particles, and these forces are always attractive.
- These forces are important only at short distances (~500 pm) and their magnitude is determined by the particle’s polarizability.
