Exercise 2
Question 10
What role does the molecular interaction play in a solution of alcohol and water?
The lower members of alcohols are highly soluble in water but the solubility decreases with increase in the molecular weight. The solubility of lower alcohols in water is due to formation of hydrogen bonds(Hydrogen bonding) between alcohols & water molecules.
However, as the size of alcohol molecule increases, the alkyl groups becomes larger & prevents the formation of hydrogen bonds with water, & hence the solubility goes on decreasing with increase in the length of carbon chain.Also the interaction between the molecules of alcohol and water is weaker than alcohol−alcohol and water−water interactions. As a result, when alcohol and water are mixed, the intermolecular interactions become weaker and the molecules can easily escape. This increases the vapour pressure of the solution, which in turn lowers the boiling point of the resulting solution.
