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

Explanation

The solubility of alcohols in water may be attributed to two factors :
(i) Both of them are of polar nature.
(i) Both of them are of polar nature.
(ii) Molecules of both of them are involved in the intermolecular hydrogen bonding.
However, hydrocarbons are non-polar and are also not involved in any hydrogen bonding with alcohols. Alcohols readily dissolve in a water while the hydrocarbons are almost insoluble.