van der waals force

Englisch - Englisch

Definition von van der waals force im Englisch Englisch wörterbuch: The relatively weak attraction between neutral atoms and molecules arising from polarization induced in each particle by the presence of other particles; A weak attractive force between atoms or nonpolar molecules caused by a temporary change in dipole moment arising from a brief shift of orbital electrons to one side of one atom or molecule, creating a similar shift in adjacent atoms or molecules
van der Waals: Johannes Diderik van der Waals (1837-1923), Dutch physicist, winner of the 1910 Nobel Prize in Physics; family name
van der Waals forces: Relatively weak electrical forces that attract neutral (uncharged) molecules to each other in gases, liquefied and solidified gases, and almost all organic liquids and solids. Solids held together by van der Waals forces typically have lower melting points and are softer than those held together by ionic, covalent, or metallic bonds (see bonding). The forces arise because neutral molecules, though uncharged, are usually electric dipoles, which have a tendency to align with each other and to induce further polarization in neighbouring molecules, resulting in a net attractive force. They are somewhat weaker than the forces involved in hydrogen bonding. See also Johannes D. van der Waals
van der waals: Dutch physicist (1837-1923)