London Forces in a body that's conducting electricity

[sermatt]

We know that the more electrons there are in the valence shell of an atom, the stronger the London Dispersion Forces are, and therefore, the compound will have a higher melting and boiling points.

But now suppose electricity is being conducted through the object. Because it will have a smaller number of valence electrons (those are the charged particles that flow, creating electric current), would it be safe to assume that the London Forces would get weaker, and therefore, the overall sum of intermolecular forces would be less than the original, resulting in lower melting and boiling points?

In other words, would it require less energy to break the intermolecular forces on an object that has an current passing through it?Though this up in chemistry class, and posting it in physics forum
Pardon my grammar, just woke up

EDIT: on the second thought, maybe I should have moved this to Chemistry forum. Sorry.

 

[sermatt]

Would anyone like to share their opinion on this?

 

[astrokreng]

I can say that it is not safe to assume that the London Forces would get weaker in a body conducting electricity. While it is true that the number of valence electrons may decrease due to the flow of electric current, the overall strength of the London Forces is also influenced by other factors such as the size and shape of the molecule.

Additionally, the presence of an electric current does not necessarily mean that the intermolecular forces will decrease. In fact, in some cases, the flow of electrons can actually strengthen the intermolecular forces, leading to higher melting and boiling points.

It is important to remember that the strength of intermolecular forces is a complex interplay of various factors and cannot be solely determined by the number of valence electrons or the presence of an electric current. Therefore, it would not be accurate to assume that the overall sum of intermolecular forces would be less and the melting and boiling points would be lower in a body conducting electricity.

I would suggest discussing this topic further in a chemistry forum, as it involves a deeper understanding of intermolecular forces and their behavior in different scenarios.