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• van der Waals' forces
  van der Waals' forces

  plural noun

  weak, nonspecific forces between molecules.
• van der Waals forces
  van der Waals forces

  plural noun

  weak electrostatic forces between atoms and molecules caused by transient distortions in the distribution of electrons in the interacting atoms or molecules

van der Waals' forces

American  

Or van der Waals forces

plural noun

Physical Chemistry.

1. weak, nonspecific forces between molecules.

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van der Waals forces British  

plural noun

1. weak electrostatic forces between atoms and molecules caused by transient distortions in the distribution of electrons in the interacting atoms or molecules

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Etymology

Origin of van der Waals' forces

First recorded in 1925–30; see origin at van der Waals' equation

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

van der Waals forces

The nature of the van der Waals forces between layers allows researchers to use Scotch tape to peel the layers into atomic thickness.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024

In this case, adhesion relies on chemical interactions rather than van der Waals forces alone.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2023

All of the attractive forces between neutral atoms and molecules are known as van der Waals forces, although they are usually referred to more informally as intermolecular attraction.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

The substrates and the active site may be kept together by weak interactions such as hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2018

Another factor is the van der Waals forces that form between the closely interacting pairs of β-sheets.

From Nature ● Nov. 8, 2016