London Dispersion force

Definition

London Dispersion force is a temporary attractive force that occurs between nonpolar molecules due to the fluctuating electron distribution. It is the weakest intermolecular force.

Related terms

Polarizability:

The ease with which an electron cloud can be distorted by an external electric field.

Electron density: The measure of how concentrated the electrons are in an atom or molecule.

Instantaneous dipole: A temporary uneven distribution of electrons in a molecule, resulting in a slight positive and negative charge separation.