dictionary help| van der Waals' forces | medical dictionary |
First postulated by van der Waals in 1873 to explain deviations from ideal gas behaviour seen in real gases; the attractive force's between atoms or molecules other than electrostatic (ionic), covalent (sharing of electrons), or hydrogen bonding (sharing a proton); generally ascribed to dipolar and dispersion effects, π-electrons, etc.; these relatively nondescript force's contribute to the mutual attraction of organic molecules.
Synonyms: London forces.
van der Velden, Reinhardt, van der Velden's test, van der Waals attraction < Prev | Next > van der Waals, Johannes, vane
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