Intermolecular and Surface Forces, 3rd Edition

5 Interactions Involving the Polarization of Molecules

5.1 The Polarizability of Atoms and Molecules

We now enter the last category of electrostatic interactions that we shall be considering: those that involve molecular polarization. This involves the dipole moments induced in molecules by the electric fields emanating from nearby molecules. Actually, we have already been much involved with polarization effects: whenever the macroscopic dielectric constant of a medium entered into our consideration, this was no more than a reflection of the way the molecules of the medium are polarized by the local electric field. Here we shall look at these effects in more detail, starting at the molecular level. We shall find that apart from the purely Coulombic ...