Within molecular interactions, different forces play a crucial role in the behavior and properties of substances. Dipoles occur when electrons are unequally shared between atoms, leading to molecules with partial positive and negative charges that attract each other.
Example: Table salt (NaCl) and interactions between parts of proteins.
What happens: The positive and negative charges attract each other strongly.
What it is: When electrons are completely transferred from one atom to another, creating full charges (positive and negative).
Dipole
Example: Water molecules (H₂O) do this.
What happens: Molecules with opposite charges stick together because of attraction.
What it is: In some molecules, electrons aren’t shared equally between atoms, creating partial negative and positive charges.
Hydrogen bonding
Example: Water molecules and the connection between DNA strands.
What happens: The positive hydrogen and negative atoms pull on each other harder, making the attraction stronger.
What it is: This is a stronger version of dipole interactions, but specifically when hydrogen is bonded to a very electronegative atom like oxygen (O) or nitrogen (N).
Dispersion
Example: All molecules have this, even nonpolar ones.
What happens: This creates a tiny negative charge that can push away other electrons nearby, making the molecules attract each other.
What it is: Electrons in atoms are usually spread out, but they can randomly gather on one side of an atom for a moment.