Textbook knowledge in molecular interactions refuted
Thursday, June 29, 2017 - 10:42
in Physics & Chemistry
Van der Waals interactions between molecules are among the most important forces in biology, physics, and chemistry, as they determine the properties and physical behavior of many materials. For a long time, it was considered that these interactions between molecules are always attractive. Now, researchers have found that in many rather common situations in nature the van der Waals force between two molecules becomes repulsive.