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Intermolecular vs. Intramolecular Forces

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Intramolecular forces hold one molecule's own atoms together; intermolecular forces are the weaker attractions between neighboring molecules.

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Boiling one mole of liquid HCl needs about 17 kilojoules; breaking its H-Cl bond needs about 430 kilojoules instead.

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"Intra-" and "inter-" differ by one prefix but describe forces roughly twenty-five times apart in strength.