Molecular matters van der Waals molecules: 1. History and some perspectives on intermolecular forces

Abstract

van der waals introduced his equation of state in 1867 modifying the ideal gas equation. His equation had two constants a and b, which accounted for the fact that molecules have attractive forces and finite size. The constant a accounted for the attractive forces, the nature of which was not outlined by van der waals. This series of articles will discuss about the nature of intermolecular forces.