How do intermolecular forces hold a liquid together?

In the liquid state, molecules are held together by short-range attractive forces that cause the substance to cohere. These intermolecular forces, often referred to as van der Waals forces, are relatively weak electric attractions between neutral molecules.123

These forces arise from several interactions:
* Permanent Dipoles: Molecules with a fixed distortion in their electric charge distribution align with one another, creating an attractive force.2
* Induced Dipoles: A permanent dipole can temporarily distort the electron charge of nearby molecules, creating an additional attractive interaction.2
* London Dispersion Forces: Even in nonpolar molecules, fluctuations in electron motion create instantaneous, time-varying dipoles that induce polarization in adjacent molecules, resulting in attractive forces.2

While these forces are strong enough to keep molecules in contact—preventing them from flying apart like gas molecules—they are not strong enough to lock the particles into the rigid, ordered arrays characteristic of solids. Because the molecules possess sufficient thermal energy to remain in constant motion, they slide past one another, allowing the liquid to flow and conform to the shape of its container.14