why do unbranched chains have weaker van der Waals forces than branched chains? Could someone please explain this to me diagramatically
They don't - it's the other way round.
exactly! and just for the op to know this is because the branched chains have less points of contact on the molecule so it’s harder for it to form VdW forces with other molecules compared to an unbranched one
exactly! and just for the op to know this is because the branched chains have less points of contact on the molecule so it’s harder for it to form VdW forces with other molecules compared to an unbranched one thank you so much this was my reasoning but thanks for the support that it should be the other way around