What are the intermolecular forces in water?

Question

Cameron Andrews · Accepted Answer

Water has hydrogen bonds, dipole-induced dipole forces, and London dispersion forces.

In order of decreasing strength, the types of intermolecular bonds in covalent substances are:

Hydrogen bonds
Dipole-dipole attractions
Dipole-induced dipole attractions
London dispersion forces
You start at the top and work down. If a substance has one type of intermolecular bond, it has all the other forces listed below it.

Water has polar O-H bonds. The negative O atoms attract the positive H atoms in nearby molecules, leading to the unusually strong type of dipole-dipole force called a hydrogen bond.

Since water has hydrogen bonds, it also has dipole-induced dipole and London dispersion forces. The hydrogen bonds are the strongest force, but the other types of intermolecular attraction are still present.

Jeremiah Adams · Answer

undefined Hydrogen bonds, which are formed between the hydrogen atoms of one water molecule and the oxygen atom of another, make up the majority of the intermolecular forces in water. The polarity of the water molecule also results in weaker dipole-dipole interactions between water molecules.