{"id":208100,"date":"2025-04-26T07:40:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T07:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnexams.com\/blog\/?p=208100"},"modified":"2025-04-26T07:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T07:40:35","slug":"which-of-the-following-substances-exhibit-only-dispersion-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/26\/which-of-the-following-substances-exhibit-only-dispersion-forces\/","title":{"rendered":"Which of the following substances exhibit ONLY dispersion forces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which of the following substances exhibit ONLY dispersion forces?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(a) Xe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(b) O2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(c) OCl2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(d) BCl3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-ast-global-color-6-color\"><strong>The correct answer and explanation is :<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let&#8217;s solve it carefully:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, <strong>dispersion forces<\/strong> (also called <strong>London dispersion forces<\/strong>) are the weakest type of intermolecular forces and are <strong>present in all molecules<\/strong>, but <strong>they are the <em>only<\/em> type<\/strong> of intermolecular force in <strong>nonpolar molecules<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thus, to answer this question, we need to check:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is the substance <strong>nonpolar<\/strong>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If yes, it will have <strong>only dispersion forces<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If not (i.e., if it&#8217;s polar), it will have <strong>dipole-dipole forces<\/strong> along with dispersion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, let&#8217;s go through the options one by one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(a) Xe (Xenon)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Xe is a <strong>noble gas atom<\/strong>, monoatomic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No polar bonds, no permanent dipole.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interactions are only via <strong>dispersion forces<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2705 Xe has only dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(b) O\u2082 (Oxygen gas)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>O\u2082 is a <strong>diatomic molecule<\/strong> with two identical oxygen atoms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is <strong>nonpolar<\/strong> (equal sharing of electrons).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>So, only <strong>dispersion forces<\/strong> exist between O\u2082 molecules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2705 O\u2082 has only dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(c) OCl\u2082 (Dichlorine monoxide)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>OCl\u2082 is a <strong>bent molecule<\/strong> because oxygen forms bonds with two Cl atoms and has lone pairs, similar to the structure of H\u2082O.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thus, OCl\u2082 is a <strong>polar molecule<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polar molecules exhibit <strong>dipole-dipole interactions<\/strong> <em>in addition<\/em> to dispersion forces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u274c OCl\u2082 has <strong>dipole-dipole<\/strong> and dispersion forces (not only dispersion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(d) BCl\u2083 (Boron trichloride)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BCl\u2083 is a <strong>trigonal planar<\/strong> molecule with <strong>symmetrical<\/strong> distribution of chlorine atoms around boron.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even though B-Cl bonds are polar individually, the overall molecule is <strong>nonpolar<\/strong> due to symmetry (the dipoles cancel out).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Therefore, only <strong>dispersion forces<\/strong> act between BCl\u2083 molecules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2705 BCl\u2083 has only dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Answer:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2705 <strong>(a) Xe<\/strong>, <strong>(b) O\u2082<\/strong>, and <strong>(d) BCl\u2083<\/strong> exhibit <strong>only dispersion forces<\/strong>.<br>\u274c (c) OCl\u2082 does <strong>not<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">300-word Explanation:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dispersion forces, also called London dispersion forces, are the weakest intermolecular forces arising from momentary dipoles created by the movement of electrons in atoms and molecules. Every molecule has dispersion forces, but only nonpolar molecules rely <em>solely<\/em> on them for intermolecular interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a molecule to have only dispersion forces, it must be nonpolar. Polar molecules have permanent dipoles leading to additional dipole-dipole interactions. Therefore, to determine if a substance exhibits only dispersion forces, we must assess whether it is nonpolar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xe is a noble gas atom, existing as isolated atoms with no permanent dipole. The only attractive force between Xe atoms is dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2082 is a diatomic molecule with two identical atoms sharing electrons equally, making it nonpolar. Thus, O\u2082 molecules are attracted only through dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OCl\u2082, on the other hand, has a bent molecular geometry due to lone pairs on the oxygen atom, similar to water (H\u2082O). This asymmetry causes a net dipole moment, making OCl\u2082 polar. Therefore, OCl\u2082 experiences dipole-dipole forces in addition to dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BCl\u2083 has a trigonal planar structure where the three B\u2013Cl bonds are symmetrically arranged around the boron atom. Although individual B\u2013Cl bonds are polar, the molecular symmetry causes their dipoles to cancel, making BCl\u2083 nonpolar overall. Hence, BCl\u2083 experiences only dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In conclusion, Xe, O\u2082, and BCl\u2083 are nonpolar and exhibit only dispersion forces, whereas OCl\u2082 is polar and exhibits both dipole-dipole and dispersion forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which of the following substances exhibit ONLY dispersion forces? (a) Xe (b) O2 (c) OCl2 (d) BCl3 The correct answer and explanation is : Let&#8217;s solve it carefully: First, dispersion forces (also called London dispersion forces) are the weakest type of intermolecular forces and are present in all molecules, but they are the only type [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}