van der Waals radius

noun

The radius of an imaginary hard sphere representing the distance of closest approach from one atom to another.

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Meanings

nounvan der Waals radius (plural van der Waals radii)

plural van der Waals radii

  1. natural sciencesThe radius of an imaginary hard sphere representing the distance of closest approach from one atom to another.

Origin

Named after Johannes Diderik van der Waals, the first to recognise that atoms were not simply points and to demonstrate the physical consequences of their size.

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Cite this entry
APA

van der Waals radius. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/van%20der%20Waals%20radius

MLA

“van der Waals radius.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/van%20der%20Waals%20radius. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “van der Waals radius,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/van%20der%20Waals%20radius.

Source: van der Waals radius on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.