Intermolecular Forces for NH3 (Ammonia)

In this video we’ll identify the intermolecular forces for NH3 (Ammonia).  Using a flowchart to guide us, we find that NH3 is a polar molecule. It also has the Hydrogen atoms bonded to a Nitrogen atom.  Therefore NH3 the main intermolecular force is Hydrogen Bonding (note that NH3 also has Dipole-Dipole and London Dispersion Forces).

In determining the intermolecular forces present for NH3 we follow these steps:

- Determine if there are ions present.  Since NH3 is a molecule and there is no + or – sign after the Ammonia can say that it is not an ion.

- Next, based on its Lewis Structure, we determine if NH3 is polar or non-polar  (see Is NH3 Polar or Nonpolar? (Ammonia)).  Since there is large difference in electronegativity between the atom H and N atoms, and the molecule is asymmetrical, Ammonia is considered to be a polar molecule.

Since we have a large difference in electronegativity and the H is bonded to a N atom the main intermolecular force is Hydrogen Bonding.

Useful Resources:
Determining Polarity: Polar, Non-Polar, and Ionic Compounds...
Drawing Lewis Structure: How to Draw Lewis Structures: Five Ea...
Molecular Geometry: Molecular Geometry: Rules, Examples, ...

Molecular Visualization  Software: https://molview.org/

More chemistry help at http://www.Breslyn.org

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