Van der Waals Radius | Why Van der Waals Radii is Greater than Covalent Radii
Anand Classes explains the Van der Waals radius is a measure of the size of an atom when it is not bonded to another atom but held together by weak Van der Waals forces in the solid state. Unlike covalent radius, which is measured for bonded atoms, Van der Waals radius is determined for non-bonded atoms in neighbouring molecules. This concept is especially important for noble gases, which do not form covalent bonds and therefore have their atomic radii expressed in terms of Van der Waals radii.


