All AP Chemistry Resources
What intermolecular forces can be found in a molecule of ethene?
Possible Answers:
London dispersion forces only
London dispersion forces, hydrogen bonding, and dipole-dipole attraction
London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole attraction
London dispersion forces and hydrogen bonding
Dipole-dipole attraction and ionic bonding
Correct answer:
London dispersion forces only
Explanation:
Ethene is an organic molecule composed of two carbon atoms, joined by a double bond, and four hydrogen atoms.
Ethene, like all molecules, exhibits London dispersion forces. This molecule, however, has no net dipole moment, so it will not exhibit dipole-dipole attraction. Also, even though it contains hydrogens, it does not exhibit hydrogen bonding. To exhibit hydrogen bonding, the hydrogen atoms must be attached to more electronegative atoms, namely nitrogen, fluorine, or oxygen. Finally, ionic bonding is only present in ionic compounds, not organic compounds.
Which of the following has the highest boiling point?
Correct answer:
Explanation:
Ionic bonds are the strongest type of bonds, followed by covalent bonds, hydrogen bonds, and lastly, van Der waals forces.
Which of the following substances has a higher boiling point?
Dipropyl Ether
Propanol
Possible Answers:
You must know the system pressure in order to determine the answer
You must know the system temperature in order to determine the answer
Propanol
They have equal boiling points
Dipropyl ether
Explanation:
Although the two molecules seem similar in structure, proponol has a higher boiling point due to the hydrogen bonding allowed by its alcohol group. This creates a strong intermolecular force, and extra energy is subsequently needed to break these bonds, resulting in a higher boiling point.
System pressure and temperature are related to boiling point, but are not necessary when comparing the properties of two molecules.
Which of the following is the strongest intermolecular force?
Possible Answers:
van Der Waals
Ion-dipole forces
Dipole-dipole forces
Covalent bonds
Ionic bonds
Correct answer:
Ion-dipole forces
Explanation:
Ionic and covalent bonds are not intermolecular forces;
Ion-dipole>hydrogen bonds>dipole-dipole>van Der Waals forces
What is the strongest intermolecular force in the following compound?
CH3CH2CH2CH2OH
Possible Answers:
ionic bond
van Der Waals
covalent bond
Hydrogen bond
None of these
Correct answer:
Hydrogen bond
Explanation:
This is butanol. It is an alcohol; OH is the prime example of hydrogen bonding, which is the strongest intermolecular force.
Which of the following intermolecular forces is the strongest?
Possible Answers:
Ionic bonds
Ion-dipole forces
Van der Waals forces
Dipole-dipole forces
Hydrogen bonds
Correct answer:
Ion-dipole forces
Explanation:
Ion-dipole forces are the strongest of the intermolecular forces.
Hydrogen bonding is a specific term for a particularly strong dipole-dipole interaction between a hydrogen atom and a very electronegative atom (oxygen, fluorine, or nitrogen). However, hydrogen bonds are still not as strong as ion-dipole interactions.
In order from strongest to weakest, the intermolecular forces given in the answer choices are: ion-dipole, hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole, and Van der Waals forces.
Ionic bonding is stronger than any of the given intermolecular forces, but is itself NOT an intermolecular force. Ionic bonds are a permanent chemical connection between two atoms, whereas intermolecular forces as a more transient and temporary attraction between independent molecules.
Formaldehyde has which of the following types of intermolecular forces?
Possible Answers:
Dipole-dipole attraction only
London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole attraction
Hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole attraction
London dispersion forces only
London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole attraction, and hydrogen bonding
Correct answer:
London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole attraction
Explanation:
Formaldehyde, like all atoms and molecules, will have very weak London dispersion forces created as electrons shift within the electron cloud. Because it possesses a permanent dipole (based on the polarized carbon-oxygen bond), formaldehyde also exhibits dipole-dipole interactions. It does not, however, exhibit hydrogen bonding, because no hydrogens are attached to oxygen (or other electronegative atoms like nitrogen or fluorine).
Select the option that lists only intermolecular forces.
Possible Answers:
Covalent bonding and ionic bonding
Hydrogen bonding and metallic bonding
van der Waals forces and metallic bonding
Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces
Metallic bonding and covalent bonding
Correct answer:
Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces
Explanation:
There is a key difference between atomic bonds and intermolecular forces. Metallic bonds, ionic bonds, and covalent bonds are all atomic bonds. This means that they are generally stable and relatively irreversible. An atomic bond will change the identity of a compound by adding an atom to the structure.
Intermolecular forces, in contrast, are more transient and less stable. These attractions are constantly broken and reformed as molecules move around. Hydrogen bonds, dipole-dipole interactions, and van der Waals forces (London dispersion forces) are some common examples of intermolecular forces. Intermolecular forces will never change the identity of the molecule and cannot be used to add atoms to a compound.
Which of these is the strongest intermolecular force?
Possible Answers:
Covalent bonds
Dipole-dipole interactions
van der Waals forces
Ionic bonds
Hydrogen bonds
Correct answer:
Hydrogen bonds
Explanation:
There is a key difference between atomic bonds and intermolecular forces. Ionic bonds and covalent bonds are atomic bonds, meaning they are intramolecular. This means that they are generally stable and relatively irreversible. An atomic bond will change the identity of a compound by adding an atom to the structure.
Intermolecular forces, in contrast, are more transient and less stable. These attractions are constantly broken and reformed as molecules move around. Hydrogen bonds, dipole-dipole interactions, and van der Waals forces (London dispersion forces) are some common examples of intermolecular forces. Intermolecular forces will never change the identity of the molecule and cannot be used to add atoms to a compound.
The strongest intermolecular force is hydrogen bonding, which is a particular subset of dipole-dipole interactions that occur when a hydrogen is in close proximity (bound to) a highly electronegative element (namely oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine). The hydrogen takes on a partial positive charge and the electronegative atoms takes on a partial negative charge.
Order the following compounds by strength of their intermolecular forces, from weakest to strongest:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Possible Answers:
IV < V < I < II < III
V < I < IV < III < II
II < III < IV < I < V
II < III < I < IV < V
I < II < IV < V < III
Correct answer:
II < III < IV < I < V
Explanation:
This is a question about intermolecular forces, or IMFs. There are four broad categories of IMFs, all of which are represented here.
Since the question asks us to order the compounds from least strength to greatest, we'll start with the weakest IMF: Van der Waals forces, also called "induced dipoles" or London dispersion forces.
Non-polar molecules like and can still exhibit temporary dipoles by induction, when the electrons of one molecule push away the electrons of another. In general, the more electrons that are available to push, the more potential there is for a dipole to occur. Therefore, is weaker, because it has less electrons available than .
The next tier of IMF is permanent dipole interactions (dipole-dipole interactions) that are not hydrogen bonds. is a polar molecule and experiences dipole interactions, which makes it the next strongest in our list.
Next is hydrogen bonding, an especially powerful form of dipole interactions when hydrogen is bonded to a fluorine, oxygen, or nitrogen atom. experiences hydrogen bonding because it has hydrogen atoms bonded to oxygen atoms. Because hydrogen bonds are a stronger form of dipole interactions, this puts next in the list.
The strongest form of intermolecular force is ionic forces, which exist in ionic compounds like . So, exhibits the strongest IMFs.
Our final order is , or II < III < IV < I < V.