What are the intermolecular forces in iodine monochloride?

1 Answer
Aug 18, 2017

#"ICl"# has both dipole-dipole and London dispersion forces.

Explanation:

The #"I-Cl"# bond is polar covalent.

Admittedly, it is not very polar, because #ΔEN# is only 0.50 (corresponding to about 6 % ionic character).

However, there is still a small dipole moment, so the molecule has dipole-dipole forces.

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A molecule of #"ICl"# can still have temporary fluctuations in electron density, and these will induce fluctuations in nearby #"ICl"# molecules.

Thus, #"ICl"# also has London dispersion forces.