Science glossary film: Van der Waals Force

A type of intermolecular force that causes attraction between molecules. Van der Waals forces increase in strength with increasing numbers of electrons, so larger molecules have stronger forces between them than smaller molecules. But intermolecular forces are always much weaker than the chemical bonds within compounds, such as covalent and ionic bonds.

Van der Waals forces increase in strength with increasing numbers of electrons, so larger molecules have stronger forces between them than smaller molecules. But intermolecular forces are always much weaker than the chemical bonds within compounds, such as covalent and ionic bonds.