Molecules are held together by intermolecular forces. Intermolecular forces are the forces of attraction or repulsion that act between the particles of a substance. When strong intermolecular forces exist between particles, more energy is needed to disrupt the intermolecular forces holding the particles together. Because of this, a substance with stronger intermolecular forces will have a higher boiling point.
`~NH_3` molecules are held together by two types of intermolecular forces: London dispersion forces and hydrogen bonds.
`CH_4` molecules are only held together by London dispersion forces.
The hydrogen bonding forces between the `~NH_3` molecules are stronger than the London dispersion forces between the `~CH_4` molecules. Therefore, more energy will be needed to disrupt the intermolecular forces between the `~NH_3` molecules. Because of this, the boiling point of `~NH_3` is higher than the boiling point of `~CH_4` .
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