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Alcohols are comparatively more soluble ...

Alcohols are comparatively more soluble in water than hydrocarbons of comparable melecular masses. Explain this fact.

Text Solution

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Alcohols can form H-bonds with water with water and break the H-bonds already existing between water molecules. Therefore, they are soluble in water.

On the other hand, hydrocarbons cannot form H-bonds with water and hence are incoluble in water.
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Alcohols are comparatively more soluble in water than hydrocarbons of comparable molecular masses. Explain this fact.

Alcohols are comparatively more soluble in water than hydrocarbons of comparable molecular masses. Explain this fact.

Knowledge Check

  • The boiling points of alcohols are much higher than hydrocarbons of comparable molecular masses because of

    A
    Dipole-dipole interaction
    B
    Intra molecular H- bonding
    C
    Inter molecular H-bonding
    D
    van der Waal's forces
  • Alcohols have lower boiling points than carboxylic acids of comparable molecular mass because

    A
    carboxylic acids show resonance but alcohols do not
    B
    carboxylic acids form intermolecular bonds but alcohols do not
    C
    intermolecular hydrogen bonding in carboxylic acids is stronger than that in alcohols
    D
    alcohols form intermolecular hydrogen bonds but carboxylic acids do not
  • Assertion : Alcohols are more boinling than aldehyes of comparable molecular masses. Reason : Stric hindrance is more than in acetaldehyde.

    A
    If both assertion and reason are correct and reason is correct explanation for assertion.
    B
    If both assertion and reason are correct and reason is not correct explanation for assertion.
    C
    If assertion is correct but reason is incorrect.
    D
    If assertion as well as reason are both incorrect.
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