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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

These perovskites comprise molecularly thin layers held together by forces that hold graphite layers together, the so-called van der Waals forces -- hence the "v" in CL-v.

From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024

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

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

Proteins retain their shape because of forces that include ionic and covalent bonds, van der Waals forces, and hydrogen bonds.

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