Question #fcbdf
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Carbon dioxide molecules have dispersion forces (London) which determines many properties of this substance.
The carbon dioxide molecule is linear in shape O=C=O because of its AB2 or AX2 arrangement of atoms.
Even though there are two dipoles in the molecule, they are of equal strength and in opposite directions. This makes the molecule non-polar.
The attractions between carbon dioxide molecules are caused by the random movement of electrons. If electrons momentarily gather more on one side of the molecule, that side will momentarily have a partial negative charge and can be briefly attracted to neighboring molecules. Once the temporary dipole forms, it is gone almost instantly and the attraction that existed vanishes. The fact that it did exist is what's important here.
Because these forces are so short and fleeting, they are the weakest type of intermolecular force. This is why carbon dioxide exists as a gas under standard temperature and pressure conditions.
