Dipole-Induced Dipole Interactions
- This is a weak attraction that results from the interaction between a polar molecule and a nonpolar molecule
- The polar molecule induces, or causes, a temporary dipole in the nonpolar molecule by distorting its electron distribution
- For example, in the interaction between polar water molecules and nonpolar iodine molecules:
- There is a partial negative charge on the oxygen atom of the polar O—H bond in water
- This causes a distortion in the electron cloud distribution in the iodine molecules
- This distortion creates an induced dipole in the iodine molecule
- This induced dipole is then weakly attracted to the negative oxygen atom, allowing some degree of iodine dissolution in water
- However, because this force is weak, the iodine molecules are not very soluble in water
- If the water becomes supersaturated with iodine, then there are not enough water molecules to cause this attraction
Dipole-induced dipole interactions
Dipole-induced dipole interaction between polar water molecules and iodine molecules
- The strength of this interaction is dependent on two factors:
- The magnitude of the dipole moment in the polar molecule
- The polarizability of the nonpolar molecule