Van-der-Waals forces
Purely physical adhesive forces between molecules and atoms without any chemical bond. They act only in the near field and are considerably weaker than chemical binding forces. Van-der-Waals forces are forces of attraction between
- dipoles
- one dipole and one polarisable molecule which is polarised by the effect of the dipole
- two polarisable molecules which polarise each other
Named after the Dutch physicist Johann Diderik van der Waals (1837 - 1923).
