Illustration 16 Force between the atoms of a diatomic

Last updated: 5/29/2023

Illustration 16 Force between the atoms of a diatomic molecule has its origin in the interaction the nuclei present in each atom This force is conservative and associated potential energy U r is to ac approximation represented by the Lennard Jones potential function U r U 9 A97 a r F Here r is the distance between the two atoms and U and a are positive constants Develop express he associated force and find the equilibrium separation between the atoms dU 1 Using equation F we obtain the expression for the force dr 6U a 2 a 13 12 L At equilibrium force must be zero Therefore the equilibrium separation is r 2 a