Intermolecular Cohesion

Definition

The electrostatic attraction pulling molecules together, governed by charge disparity, which competes against molecular motion to determine a substance’s phase.

It appears in several strengths: London dispersion forces are weak and fleeting, dipole-dipole interactions are stronger, and hydrogen bonding is the strongest of these. When cohesion dominates a substance is solid, when it is roughly matched with motion it is liquid, and when motion overwhelms it the substance is gas. In water this cohesion gives rise to the Hydrogen-Bond Network.

Related concepts

Dipole-Dipole Interactions · Molecular Motion · London Dispersion Forces

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry