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intermolecular pair potential function
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A graph with energy on the vertical axis and internuclear separation on the horizontal axis, showing two curves: a red line for intermolecular potential energy and a blue line for molecular potential energy, each illustrating how energy changes as molecules move closer or farther apart.
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intermolecular pair potential function

physics
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A graph with energy on the vertical axis and internuclear separation on the horizontal axis, showing two curves: a red line for intermolecular potential energy and a blue line for molecular potential energy, each illustrating how energy changes as molecules move closer or farther apart.
intermolecular potential energy Figure 16: An intermolecular potential energy curve. The graph shows how the potential energy of two molecules varies with their separation. The energy minimum is shallower than for the formation of a chemical bond between two atoms, as depicted in Figure 10 and indicated here in gray.

The intermolecular pair potential function describes the energy of interaction between two molecules as a function of the distance between their centers. This function is crucial for understanding the behavior of liquids.1

Intermolecular forces are weak attractions or repulsions between molecules that cause them to cohere, leading to phenomena like the liquefaction of gases and the existence of liquids and solids. These forces are much weaker than the chemical bonds within molecules.234

The potential function includes repulsive forces, which arise from the overlap of electron wave functions and the Pauli exclusion principle, making it impossible for electrons with the same spin to occupy the same space. It also includes attractive forces, such as dipole-dipole interactions between polar molecules and dispersion interactions that occur between all molecules, even nonpolar ones, due to temporary fluctuations in electron density. The net result of these forces determines the overall interaction energy and influences the structure and properties of liquids.3241

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. chemical bonding - Dipole–dipole interaction
  2. liquid - Molecular structure of liquids
  3. chemical bonding - Repulsive force
  4. chemical bonding - Dispersion interaction

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