Overview
In general, noncovalent bonding refers to attractive intermolecular forces that are not covalent in nature. Noncovalent forces are dominant in supramolecular chemistry. These noncovalent interactions may include ionic bonds, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces (dispersion attractions, dipole-dipole and dipole-induced dipole interactions). Noncovalent bonds are weak by nature and must therefore work together to have a significant effect. In addition, the combined bond strength is greater than the sum of the individual bonds. This is because the free energy of multiple bonds between two molecules is greater than the sum of the enthalpies of each bond due to entropic effects.
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