Question

What are the intermolecular forces in water?

Answer 1

Water has hydrogen bonds, dipole-induced dipole forces, and London dispersion forces.

Explanation:

In order of decreasing strength, the types of intermolecular bonds in covalent substances are:

• Hydrogen bonds
• Dipole-dipole attractions
• Dipole-induced dipole attractions
• London dispersion forces

You start at the top and work down. If a substance has one type of intermolecular bond, it has all the other forces listed below it.

Water has polar O-H bonds. The negative O atoms attract the positive H atoms in nearby molecules, leading to the unusually strong type of dipole-dipole force called a hydrogen bond.

Since water has hydrogen bonds, it also has dipole-induced dipole and London dispersion forces. The hydrogen bonds are the strongest force, but the other types of intermolecular attraction are still present.