Though covalent in nature, methanol is soluble in water , why ?

Options

A. Methanol is transparent like water.
B. Due to hydrogen bonding between methanol and water molecules.
C. Due to van der Waals' forces between methanol and water.
D. Due to covalent attraction forces.

Explanation

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding the Nature of Methanol:**
- Methanol (CH₃OH) is a covalent compound. It consists of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms bonded together.

2. **Identifying the Structure of Methanol:**
- The molecular structure of methanol can be represented as:
\[ \text{H}_3\text{C-OH} \]
- In this structure, the oxygen atom is more electronegative than hydrogen, which leads to a polar covalent bond between oxygen and hydrogen.

3. **Polarity of Methanol:**
- Due to the difference in electronegativity, the oxygen atom carries a partial negative charge (δ-) and the hydrogen atom carries a partial positive charge (δ+). This makes methanol a polar molecule.

4. **Understanding Water's Structure:**
- Water (H₂O) is also a polar molecule, where the oxygen atom is bonded to two hydrogen atoms. The oxygen atom in water also carries a partial negative charge, while the hydrogen atoms carry partial positive charges.

5. **Hydrogen Bonding:**
- The partial positive charge of the hydrogen atoms in methanol can interact with the partial negative charge of the oxygen in water, and vice versa. This interaction is known as hydrogen bonding.
- The hydrogen bonds formed between methanol and water molecules are significant because they are relatively strong intermolecular forces.

6. **Solubility of Methanol in Water:**
- The hydrogen bonding between methanol and water molecules allows methanol to dissolve in water. The strong attraction between the polar molecules overcomes the forces holding the methanol molecules together, leading to its solubility.

7. **Conclusion:**
- Therefore, the reason methanol is soluble in water, despite being covalent in nature, is due to the hydrogen bonding between methanol and water molecules.

**Final Answer:**
Methanol is soluble in water due to hydrogen bonding between methanol and water molecules.

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