Lower alcohols are soluble in water due to:
Correct answer: A. H-bonding
- A. H-bonding
- B. Dipole dipole forces
- C. Induced dipole force
- D. All
Explanation
Lower alcohols are soluble in water due to hydrogen bonding. The hydroxyl group (-OH) in alcohols is capable of forming hydrogen bonds with water molecules. Hydrogen bonds are a type of intermolecular force that occurs between a hydrogen atom that is bonded to a highly electronegative atom (such as oxygen or nitrogen) and an atom that has a lone pair of electrons (such as oxygen). In the case of alcohols, the hydrogen atom in the hydroxyl group is bonded to the oxygen atom, which is highly electronegative. This means that the hydrogen atom has a partial positive charge, and the oxygen atom has a partial negative charge. The oxygen atom in water also has a partial negative charge, which means that it can form hydrogen bonds with the hydrogen atoms in the hydroxyl groups of alcohols.
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About Hydrogen Bonding
Hydrogen bonding is the strong attraction between hydrogen attached to nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine and an electronegative atom in the same or another molecule. It explains unusual boiling points, viscosity, surface tension, water's properties and the difference between intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding.
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