Real Life Applications

• Intermolecular forces have useful applications across various fields, such as:

  • Solubility Processes
  • Drug Design and Pharmaceuticals
  • Food Science and Cooking
  • Environmental Science
• Solubility Processes

  • IMF helps in predicting the solubility of substances in different solvents.
  • Polar solvents like water dissolve polar solutes due to dipole-dipole and hydrogen bonding interactions.
  • Nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar substances due to London forces.
• Type of IMF present in water and table sugar is dipole-dipole/hydrogen bond forces

  • C11H12O11 (table sugar)Polar solute
  • H2O (water) Polar solvent
• Type of IMF present in chloroform and benzene is London forces

  • CHCl3 (Chloroform)Nonpolar solute
  • C6H6 (Benzene)Nonpolar solvent
• Drug Design and Pharmaceuticals

  • Pharmaceutical scientists design drugs that can interact with specific receptors through hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions, or other types of IMF.
  • The solubility and bioavailability of drugs are influenced by their intermolecular interactions with body fluids and tissues.
• C8H11N5O3 (Acyclovir)Antiviral drug

  • Also known as guanine derivatives.
  • For treatment of symptoms of chickenpox.
  • Hydrogen Bond Forces
• C4H5N3O (Cytosine)Nonpolar solvent

  • Hydrogen Bond Forces
• Food Science and Cooking

  • IMF affects the texture, flavor, and stability of food products.
  • For example, emulsions (e.g., mayonnaise, salad dressings) rely on IMF to stabilize the mixture of immiscible liquids.
  • Cooking processes such as caramelization and gelatinization involve changes in IMF that influence the texture and taste of food.
• Immiscible Liquids

  • Type of IMF present: Hydrogen bond forces and London forces
  • C10H16N2O8 (Mayonnaise)
  • Salad Dressing
• Type of IMF present: Hydrogen bond forces

  • Caramelization of C11H12O11 (table sugar)
  • Gelatinization of (C6H10O5)n (Starch)
• Environmental Science

  • IMFs are involved in processes such as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, which are essential for the water cycle and weather patterns.