An electrostatic interaction between molecules that possess permanent electric dipole moments, such as water or hydrogen chloride. The force arises from the tendency of these dipoles to align head-to-tail, resulting in a net attraction. This interaction is temperature-dependent, as thermal motion disrupts the alignment. The orientation-averaged potential energy varies as [latex]V \propto -\frac{1}{r^6 k_B T}[/latex].
