Which intermolecular attraction arises from the uneven distribution of electrons and the creation of temporary dipoles?

• A. Hydrogen bonding
• B. Soluble
• C. London dispersion forces
• D. Malleability

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is how temporary imbalances in electron distribution create momentary dipoles that induce similar dipoles in neighboring molecules, producing dispersion forces. These London dispersion forces arise from instantaneous fluctuations in the electron cloud, so one part of a molecule can become slightly negative while another becomes slightly positive. That dipole can polarize nearby molecules, and the resulting attractions are the weak, general intermolecular forces present in all molecules, especially pronounced in nonpolar substances and noble gases.

Hydrogen bonding is a stronger, specific interaction that requires hydrogen attached to highly electronegative atoms like nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine, and is not about temporary dipoles. Malleability is a physical property of metals, not an intermolecular attraction. Solubility isn’t an intermolecular force either.

So the attraction described by temporary dipoles is London dispersion forces.