How can u tell between a few compounds, which one has the greatest intermolecular force eg. ice, solid ammonia, solid methan, solid hydrogen sulfide and solid ethanol....which would have greatest intermolecular forces?

i'd say the solid ammonia because it leaves a nice negative backside of a nitrogen and groups the hydrogen on the other side

I'd be voting for ice, since:

 

1) it possesses lots of hydrogen bonding

2) and oxygen is more electronegative that nitrogen and this may contribute to a stronger hydrogen bonding than ammonia.

 

Regards

-mak10

come to think of it, solid ethanol may possess the same porperties. but the difference may well lie in more number of van der waals forces and less hydrogen bonding... not sure about it though!

actually, the answer is ice, hands down. whats funny is that i sorta read the others and forgot about ice. ice is first, ammonia is second, then hydrogen sulfide, ethanol and methane

Does the mass of the particles contribute the potential energy?

Heavier isotopes have a higher potential energy?