What is the order of bonds and interactions from the strongest to the weakest?Covalent, Van der Waals interaction, ionic bond, hydrogen bond (2024)

Order of bond strength.

See Also

Bonding - Bonding - (CCEA) - GCSE Chemistry (Single Science) Revision - CCEA - BBC BitesizeClassifying compounds as ionic or covalentChemical Bonds – Principles of BiologyWhich Bond is Stronger Ionic or Covalent?

• The order of strength of bonds from the strongest to weakest is;

Ionic bond > Covalent bond > Hydrogen bond > Van der Waals interaction

Explanation:-

Ionic bond

• An ionic bond (or electrovalent bond) refers to the strongest electrostatic forces of attraction that hold together the oppositely charged ions formed by the transfer of one or more electrons between atoms. It is the strongest bond as they are formed by the complete transfer of electrons.

Covalent bond

• A covalent bond is formed by sharing an electron pair between two atoms. It is weaker than an ionic bond because they are formed by the sharing of electrons.

Hydrogen bond

• The hydrogen bond is the attractive force that binds the hydrogen atom of one molecule with the electronegative atom of the same or different molecule. It is formed by a partial electrostatic attraction which is weaker than both ionic and covalent bonds.

Van der Waals interactions

• Van der Waals interactions occur when adjacent atoms come close enough that their outer electron clouds just barely touch. It is the sum of repulsive and attractive forces between atoms and molecules. It is the weakest of all that holds the molecules together.

Therefore, the order of strength of bonds from the strongest to weakest is;

Ionic bond > Covalent bond > Hydrogen bond > Van der Waals interaction