multipoles.

When to apply the term "van der Waals" force depends on the text. The broadest definitions include all intermolecular forces which are electrostatic in origin, namely (2), (3) and (4). Some authors, whether or not they consider other forces to be of van der Waals type, focus on (3) and (4) as these are the components which act over the longest range.

All intermolecular/Van der Waals forces are anisotropic (except those between two noble gas atoms),

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