London dispersion force
English
editEtymology
editNamed after the German physicist Fritz London.
Noun
editLondon dispersion force (plural London dispersion forces)
- A weak kind of intermolecular force acting between atoms and molecules that are normally electrically symmetric, i.e. having the electrons symmetrically distributed with respect to the nucleus. Such forces are part of the van der Waals forces.
- Synonym: (initialism) LDF