Intermolecular Forces

nonpolar covalent bond

a chemical bond between two nonmetal atoms in which the electrons are shared equally by the two atoms

polar covalent bond

a chemical bond between two nonmetal atoms in which the electrons are not shared equally by the two atoms due to a difference in electronegativity

ionic bond

a chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions

electronegativity

the force of attraction from an atom's nuclei to shared electrons in a covalent bond

electron density

relative concentration of electrons in an electron cloud of an atom or molecule

dipole

created by equal but opposite charges that are separated by a short distance

polar molecule

a molecule in which one side of the molecule is slightly negative and the opposite side is slightly positive

nonpolar molecule

a molecule that shares electrons equally and does not have oppositely charged ends

london disperson forces

temporary attractive forces that result when the electrons in two adjacent nonpolar molecules form temporary dipoles

dipole-dipole attractions

attractive forces between the positive end of one polar molecule and the negative end of another polar molecule

hydrogen bonding attractions

attractive forces that occurs between molecules with strong dipoles that are created when hydrogen is covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom (fluorine, oxygen, nitrogen)

chemical bonds

the forces that hold atoms or ions together

intermolecular forces

forces of attraction between molecules

ion-ion forces

forces of attraction that must be broken in order to melt an ionic compound (also known as ionic bonds)

partial charges

mini-charges that result from the unequal sharing of electrons