van der Waals Forces

Permanent Dipole-dipole Attraction

• Dipole-dipole forces are interactive forces of attraction

between polar molecules having permanent polarity in
them.
• Positive end of one dipole attracts the negative end of
another dipole.
 Temporary dipole-induced dipole attraction
In non-polar molecules, electrons are
evenly distributed along the nuclei axis
(symmetrical electron cloud).

As electrons move,
electron cloud might
become denser on one
side, a temporary dipole
is formed in the
molecule.

The temporaryly
polarised molecule will
induce a dipole in the
neighbouring molecules.

London dispersion force – formed due to uneven distribution of e density.

4 factors affecting the strength of van der Waals forces :
• Total number of electrons
The bigger the number of electrons involved in the dipole formation,
the stronger the dipole.
• Molecular size
The larger the molecule (bigger RMM), the stronger the van der
Waals forces.
• Total surface area
The larger the total surface area, the stronger the van der Waals
forces. Straight chained molecules provide a larger surface area of
contact than the branched molecules.
Polarity of molecule :
The more polar is the molecule, the stronger the van der
Waals forces.

Molecule Mr Number Difference in % ionic Bp

of e− electronegativity character (˚C)
Br2 162 70 0 0 59
ICl 162.5 70 0.5 6 98
STPM 2005 / Q4
Which of the following has van der Waals forces ?
A Sulphur
B Diamond
C Sodium chloride
D Magnesium oxide
STPM 2016 Q6
A liquid which has a strong van der Waals forces shows
that it has
A high density
B strong covalent bond
C high solubility in water
D high enthalpy of vaporisation
STPM 2019 Q7
The boiling point of is higher than that of because it
A has lower volatility
B has four polar bonds
C is a non-polar molecule
D has stronger van der Waals forces
 Hydrogen Bonding

• Hydrogen bond is a type of dipole-dipole attraction.

• The essential requirements for the formation of hydrogen
bonds are :
(a) H atom covalently bonded to highly electronegative
atom (F, O, N)
(b) A lone pair of electrons on the other electronegative
atom (F, O, N).
 Hydrogen bond is a
dipole-dipole
attraction between H
atom bonded
covalently to a very
highly electronegative
atom (FON) and
another very highly
electronegative atom
with lone pair e.
Polarity & number of H-bond per molecule
•

xx
xx

xx

xx
 Type of bond Typical bond energy
(kJ mol−1)
Covalent bonds 200 – 400
Hydrogen bonds 20 – 80
van der Waals forces < 20

Hydrogen bonds are stronger than van der Waals forces but
weaker than covalent bonds.
Intermolecular
hydrogen bonding

4-nitrophenol

Intramolecular
hydrogen bonding
O

2-nitrophenol
Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding
Why ?
 Hexagonal
2 hydrogen bonding lattice
2 covalent bonding structure

In ice, each oxygen atom is bonded rigidly to four hydrogen

atoms. This arrangement creates a very open hexagonal
structure where the molecules are less closely packed than
in the liquid state.
STPM 2018 Q17
A crystal lattice of ice is shown in the diagram below.

(a) What is the lattice structure of the crystalline solid above? [1]
(b) State the chemical bonds which exist in the crystal lattice of
ice. [2]
Answer
(c) Simple molecular structure/Hexagonal structure
(d) Covalent bond and hydrogen bond
MPM Report
In part (a), most of the candidates were unable to state the
lattice structure of ice as either molecular structure or hexagonal
structure. Their answer was face-centred cubic structure.
In part (b), majority of the candidates were able to state the
covalent bond and the hydrogen bond in crystal lattice of ice.
• Esters cannot form intermolecular hydrogen bonds with
itself. Why ??

No hydrogen atoms are bonded to the oxygen

atoms in the molecules.
STPM 2021 Q6
Which phenomenon is not affected by hydrogen bond?
A Ice has lower density than water
B HF has higher boiling point than HCl
C 2-nitrophenol is more volatile than 4-nitrophenol
D The boiling point of alcohol increases when the relative
molecular mass increases
STPM 2010 Q6
The strength of intermolecular forces determines the
boiling point of a substance. Which hydride has the
lowest boiling point ?
A PH3
B NH3
C H2O
D HF
STPM 2002 Q6
Which of the following best explain why the boiling point
of 2-nitrophenol is lower than that of 4-nitrophenol ?
A The size of 2-nitrophenol is smaller than the size of
4-nitrophenol.
B 2-nitrophenol exists as a monomer whereas 4-
nitrophenol exists as a dimer.
C 2-nitrophenol forms intramolecular hydrogen
bonding whereas 4-nitrophenol forms intermolecular
hydrogen bonding.
D The van der Waals forces between the 2-nitrophenol
molecules are weaker than the van der Waals forces
between the 4-nitrophenol molecules.
STPM 2006 Q3
The boiling points of CH3OH and CH3SH are 64.5 ˚C and
5.8 ˚C respectively. What is the cause of the difference in
the boiling points ?
A The O – H bond is stronger than the S – H bond.
B Hydrogen bonds exist between CH3OH molecules.
C CH3SH molecule is bigger than CH3OH molecule.
D The electronegativity of oxygen is higher than that of
sulphur.
•
•
STPM 2018 Q6
Compounds P and Q are simple molecules. The boiling
point of P is higher than the boiling point of Q. The
compounds P and Q are
P Q
A
B
C
D
STPM 2020 Q18(a)
Ammonium nitrate, is used by farmers as fertilizer.
(a) State all types of bond present in ammonium nitrate. [5]
Answer
Strong ionic bond between and ions. [1]
Strong covalent bond between N and H or O atoms. [1]
Coordinate bonds in and ions. [1]
Hydrogen bond between lp e of the N atom in ammonium
ion with partial positively charged H atom in nitrate ion, and
between the partial positively charged H atom in
ammonium ion with the lp e of the O atom in nitrate ion. [2]
MPM report
In part (a), many candidates were able to state the types of
bonds present in ammonium nitrate but they did not state
which atoms or ions form the suitable bonds. The ionic
bonds formed between and were not mentioned. Covalent
bonds were not differentiated from the coordinate bonds in
and Some candidates did not state the hydrogen bonding
between N-H atoms in or between and . The candidates
drew the hydrogen bonding with the H from joining with O
from NO.
STPM 2020 Q18(b)
Both nitrogen atoms in ammonium nitrate exhibit different types
of hybridisation. Draw the Lewis structure of the ammonium
nitrate. Identify the type of hybridisation, the geometry and state
the bond angles around each nitrogen atom. [8]
Answer
Lewis structures :

N atom in ammonium ion is hybridised, in tetrahedral shape with

H-N-H bond angle 109.5°.
N atom in nitrate ion is hybridised, in trigonal planar shape with
O-N-O bond angle 120°.
MPM report
In part (b), many candidates were unable to draw the Lewis
structures accurately. Dots and crosses were mixed with
lines to represent bonding electrons and charges, so the
Lewis structure was drawn wrongly. However, most
candidates were able to identify hybridisations, their shapes
and the angle of the central atoms. The candidates made
mistakes in spelling the shape, for example, planar as
plannar, planer or planner and tetrahedral as tetrahydral.