When two molecules approach each other, the charges in each are disturbed and redistributed in a fashion that the average distance among the unlike charges in the two molecules is a little smaller than that among the like charges. Thus, electrostatic attraction wins over the repulsion and gives rise to intermolecular attractive forces. Because of the fact that intermolecular forces are effective only over short distances, they are known as short range forces. Furthermore, these forces do not obey the inverse square law.

The maximum distance up to which a molecule can attract some other molecule is called as the range of the intermolecular force.