Ethyl acetate is a common organic compound, and its intermolecular forces play a key role in the performance of many physical and chemical properties.

Intermolecular forces mainly include Dispersion Forces, Dipole-Dipole Forces, and Hydrogen Bonding. In ethyl acetate molecules, the dispersion force is ubiquitous due to its molecular structure characteristics. This is because the continuous movement of electrons in the molecule will produce an instantaneous dipole, which in turn induces the corresponding dipoles of neighboring molecules, resulting in the existence of this weak mutual attraction between molecules.

At the same time, ethyl acetate molecules have polarity, which makes it a dipole-dipole force. In the molecule, the charge distribution of carbonyl (C = O) and ethoxy (-O - C ² H) is uneven, forming a dipole. The dipoles of neighboring molecules interact with each other, and this force is stronger than the dispersion force.

However, there is no typical hydrogen bond between ethyl acetate molecules. Hydrogen bonds usually require the presence of hydrogen atoms in the molecule that are directly connected to electronegative atoms (such as fluorine, oxygen, and nitrogen), but hydrogen atoms in ethyl acetate are not directly connected to these atoms, so the strong intermolecular force of hydrogen bonds does not exist here.

These intermolecular forces collectively affect the properties of ethyl acetate. For example, its boiling point is affected by the magnitude of intermolecular forces. Since the dispersion and dipole-dipole forces are relatively not particularly strong, the boiling point of ethyl acetate is relatively low compared to some substances with stronger intermolecular forces. In terms of solubility, it is easily miscible with solvents with similar types and strengths of intermolecular forces, which is also closely related to intermolecular forces.