Question

What are the intermolecular forces in iodine monochloride?

Answer 1

`"ICl"` has both dipole-dipole and London dispersion forces.

Explanation:

The `"I-Cl"` bond is polar covalent.

Admittedly, it is not very polar, because `ΔEN` is only 0.50 (corresponding to about 6 % ionic character).

However, there is still a small dipole moment, so the molecule has dipole-dipole forces.

A molecule of `"ICl"` can still have temporary fluctuations in electron density, and these will induce fluctuations in nearby `"ICl"` molecules.

Thus, `"ICl"` also has London dispersion forces.