alleryStart learning →Dispersion forces are present in condensed phases:
AOnly in polar substances
BOnly in ionic substances
COnly in metallic solids
DRegardless of the substance
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Regardless of the substance
1. The three van der Waals forces do not all apply to every substance.
2. Dipole-dipole attraction needs a permanent dipole, and hydrogen bonding needs particular atoms.
3. One of the three is present in all condensed phases, regardless of the nature of the atoms or molecules composing the substance.
4. That universal one is the dispersion force.
5. It is therefore the only intermolecular force a nonpolar substance has.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 'Liquids and Solids', sections 10.1-10.6_
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