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Simple Answer:

In the gas phase, the intermolecular forces are relatively unimportant, but the force become increasingly important as the material moves from gas to liquid to solid.

More explanation:

In discussing the strength of intermolecular forces (or inter-atomic), one does not usually discuss them in terms of the phase formed by the collection of atoms and molecules. One normally describes force as strong or weak based on the separation distance between two members of the collection. Obviously, the force between atoms and molecules depends on what kind of atoms or molecules are involved.

No matter what kind of forces exist between the particles, in equilibrium they will form a gas, liquid or solid based on temperature and pressure. The nature of the forces determine when that happens.

That said, we can say a few very general things.

In the solid, particles are close together, typically the separation of neighbors is a few angstroms. In a solid the forces between particles dominate and potential energies (determined by those forces) are typically more to much more important than kinetic energy. In a liquid, the potential energy and kinetic energy are typically similar in magnitude and the subtle balance usually determines the point at which the transition between solid and liquid occurs.

In the gas phase, the atoms and molecules of the gas experience the forces between each other less often than in the more condensed phases. The behavior of the gas, especially a dilute gas, has little dependence on the nature of the forces between constituents. The kinetic energy is typically much larger than potential energy. When a gas nears the temperature or pressure necessary for liquefaction, the forces between particles becomes increasingly important and the potential energies involves approach the regime of the kinetic energy of the particles.

Connecting the nature of forces to predictions of the phase behavior of materials is a complex undertaking that has occupied the attention of scientists for decades, since the existence of atoms was established over a century ago.

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12y ago

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