VAN DER WAALS&’ ATTRACTION

van der Waals&’ attraction: translation

Electrodynamic forces arise between atoms, molecules and assemblies of molecules due to their vibrations giving rise to electromagnetic interactions; these are attractive when the vibrational frequencies and absorptions are identical or similar, repulsive when non-identical. Other interactions originally proposed by van der Waals were included in this name, but these are usually separated into the Coulomb force, the Keesom force and the London force. Only the last is of electrodynamic nature. Probably important in holding lipid membranes into that structure and possibly in other interactions, eg. cell adhesion. Electrodynamic forces between large-scale assemblies can be of relatively long-range nature.