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Intermolecular forces

A solution to dispersion interactions

Nature Chemistry volume 5, pages 989–990 (2013)Cite this article

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London dispersion forces have been cited as an important factor in protein folding, drug–receptor interactions, and catalyst selectivities. However, careful analysis of a model system finds that the dispersion interactions are only minor contributors to the formation of complexes in solution.

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Figure 1: Electrostatic origins of attractive intermolecular dispersion interactions.
Figure 2: When a solute is dissolved in a solvent, the degree to which the solute molecules associate with one another is dictated by the balance of solute–solvent interactions (blue lines), solute–solute interactions (orange lines) and solvent–solvent interactions (red lines).

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  1. Ken D. Shimizu is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA,

    Ken D. Shimizu

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  1. Ken D. Shimizu
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Correspondence to Ken D. Shimizu.

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Shimizu, K. A solution to dispersion interactions. Nature Chem 5, 989–990 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1808

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