Intermolecular forces are the attractive and repulsive forces that arise between the molecules of a substance.
Intermolecular forces are mainly responsible for the physical characteristics of the substance.
The stronger the noncovalent interactions between molecules, the more energy that is required, in the form of heat, to break them apart.
The boiling point and melting point of a substance is proportional to the strength of its non-covalent intermolecular forces i.e. the stronger the intermolecular forces, the higher the boiling point and melting point.
The strongest intermolecular force is the hydrogen bond.
The weakest intermolecular forces are London dispersion forces.
London Forces:
The instantaneous dipole–induced dipole attractions are called London dispersion forces.
The name is given after Fritz London (1900–1954), a German physicist who developed this model to explain the intermolecular attractions that exist between non-polar molecules.
London’s dispersion forces occur between all molecules.
These very weak attractions occur because of the random motions of electrons on atoms within molecules.