In the context of intermolecular forces, which interaction is typically the weakest?

London Dispersion forces are the weakest type of intermolecular interaction. These forces arise from temporary fluctuations in electron density within molecules, leading to the formation of instantaneous dipoles. These dipoles can induce dipoles in neighboring molecules, causing a brief attraction. However, because they are based on transient and weak interactions, they are generally much weaker than other intermolecular forces.

Comparatively, dipole-dipole forces occur between polar molecules where permanent dipoles attract each other, and hydrogen bonding, a specific and stronger type of dipole-dipole interaction, takes place between molecules that have hydrogen attached to highly electronegative atoms like nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine. Ion-dipole forces are even stronger, occurring between charged ions and polar molecules and are particularly significant in solutions where salts are dissolved in polar solvents like water.

Thus, among the options presented, London Dispersion forces stand out as the weakest due to their origin in fleeting charge distributions rather than permanent dipolar or stronger ionic interactions.