ABSTRACT
When you look around you, you see a variety of substances with a variety of shapes and a variety of states. Why are some compounds dispersed as gases? Why are other compounds condensed as solids or liquids? Why do water and acetic acid mix to form vinegar, but oil and vinegar do not mix? Answering these questions requires understanding intermolecular forces (IMFs), that is, the forces that hold molecules together. This chapter considers the fundamentals of van der Waals (vdW) or noncovalent interactions and hydrogen bonds. The impact that IMFs – and differences in IMFs between different compounds – have on the boiling point of a substance and the miscibility or solubility of substances is given special attention.
