van der Waals force
(redirected from Van der Waals bond)

Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia

0.01 sec.

van der Waals force

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.

[After Johannes Diderik van der Waals (1837-1923), Dutch physicist.]

van der Waals force

A weak force of attraction between electrically neutral molecules that collide with or pass very close to each other. The van der Waals force is caused by the attraction between electron-rich regions of one molecule and electron-poor regions of another (the attraction between the molecules seen as electric dipoles). The attraction is much weaker than a chemical bond. Van der Waals forces are the intermolecular forces that cause molecules to cohere in liquid and solid states of matter, and are responsible for surface tension and capillary action.

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Feedback
Add definition

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Dictionary browser	?		Full browser	?
chemistry nanotechnology van der Waals equation van der Waals forces			Two model examples--hexamethylbenzene, a centrosymmetric crystal with both covalent and Van der Waals bonds, and anhydrous alum, a nocentrosymmetric structure typical of ceramics and metals--are chosen as model crystals and used to explain symmetry, point groups, space groups, Bravais lattices, reciprocal lattices, and diffraction maxima. Foundations of crystallography with computer applications by SciTech Book News Since van der Waals bonds are weaker than covalent and hydrogen bonds, the breaking of van der Waals bonds occurs in relatively low stress field. Effect of uniaxial drawing of soy protein isolate biopolymer film on ... by Kurose, Takashi; Urman, Kevin; Otaigbe, Joshua U.; Lochhead, Robert Y.; Thames, Shelby F. / Polymer Engineering and Science Each seta's tip branches into even finer hairs that nestle so closely with every surface the gecko touches that intermolecular attractions called van der Waals bonds and capillary forces kick in. Gecko-inspired adhesive is superstrong. (Caught on Tape) by McDonagh, S. / Science News			vamp vamp up Vamper vampire vampire bat vampiric vampirism Vamplate Vamure Van Van Allen Van Allen belt van Beethoven Van Bogaert encephalitis Van Buren Van de Graaff Van de Graaff generator Van de Graaff Robert Jemison van de Velde Van der Hum Van der Merwe Van der Post Van Der Rohe van der Waal's forces van der Waals Van der Waals bond van der Waals equation van der Waals force van der Waals forces van der Waals Johannes Diderik van der Weyden Van Diemen Gulf Van Diemen's Land Van Doren Van Dyck Van Dyken van Eyck van Gogh Van Rensselaer Van Vleck Van Wyck Brooks van't Hoff Van't Hoff's law Van-courier vanadate vanadic vanadic acid vanadinite Vanadious Vanadite vanadium			van der Hoeve's syndrome Van der Hum Van der Linden Groep, B.V. Van der Looy Projektmanagement BV Van der Meer, Jan van der Meer, Simon Van der Merwe Van der Merwe du Toit Van der Pol Van der Pol equation Van der Pol map Van der Pol oscillator Van der Post Van der Post Van der Post, Sir Laurens (Jan) Van der Post, Sir Laurens (Jan) Van Der Rohe Van der Rohe, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, Ludwig Mies Van der Waal's force Van der Waal's force Van der Waal's force van der Waal's forces van der Waal's forces van der Waal's forces van der Waals van der Waals van der Waals van der Waals adsorption van der Waals attraction Van der Waals bond Van der Waals bonding Van der Waals bonding Van der Waals bonding Van der Waals broadening Van der Waals broadening van der Waals covolume van der Waals equation van der Waals equation Van der Waals equation of state Van der Waals equation of state van der Waals f van der Waals f van der Waals f van der Waals f Van der Waals f's Van der Waals f's Van der Waals f's Van der Waals f's van der Waals force van der Waals force van der Waals force Van der Waals forces Van der Waals forces Van der Waals forces Van der Waals forces Van der waals gas Van der waals gas Van der waals interaction Van der waals interaction Van der waals interaction

Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup

Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.

van der Waals force (redirected from Van der Waals bond)

van der Waals force
(redirected from Van der Waals bond)