Question #58a39
1 Answer
Electrostatic attraction is when oppositely charged objects are attracted to each other. Intermolecular forces are attractive forces that exist between different molecules
Explanation:
Electrostatic attraction is when oppositely charged objects are attracted to each other. Positively charged objects are attracted to negatively charged objects.
Intermolecular forces are attractive forces that exist between different molecules. For example, water molecules stick to each other because of hydrogen bonding. The attraction is due to electrostatic attraction.
Intermolecular forces include: hydrogen bonding , dipole-dipole interactions and dispersion (London) forces.
So how are they different?
Electrostatic forces can occur between different objects. A balloon can stick to your head because of electrostatic attraction. In this video, a piece of cloth becomes charged and then flies off the top of the Van de Graaf generator.
Intermolecular forces must occur between molecules!
Head sticks to balloon (electrostatic only)
Experiment with balloons and static charges .
Water molecule sticks to another water molecules (electrostatic and intermolecular). The video below shows a demonstration of surface tension, a property of water caused by the attraction of water molecules to other water molecules.
