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-2 votes
1 answer
905 views

Why does Methanol have a higher surface tension than Ethanol? [closed]

I am researching the surface tension of different alcohols and found something odd: the surface tension of Methanol was higher than that of Ethanol, which doesn't make sense to me. My understanding is ...
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why does Ethylene Glycol have higher boiling point than Propylene Glycol?

Looking at the two alcohols, both have hydrogen bonding and are singly bonded throughout the molecule. However, propylene glycol has a larger electron cloud which to my knowledge would increase its ...
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

Why hydrogen bonds are stronger than Van der Waals forces?

Why the hydrogen bonds are more intense than Van der Waals forces in the case where the molecules with the Van der Waals forces have a stronger dipolar moment than the molecules with the hydrogen bond?...
6 votes
1 answer
916 views

Intermolecular forces of attraction between positional isomers of alcohols

This seemingly trivial question is as follows: Why is the boiling point of 1-butanol ($\ce {117.7 ^\circ C}$) higher than that of 2-butanol ($\ce {99 ^\circ C}$)? The only reason I can think of is ...
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do amines or alcohols have stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonds?

Which has stronger hydrogen bonding, $\ce{CH3OH}$ or $\ce{CH3NH2}$ I think it comes down to which has more dominance; number of hydrogens, number of lone pairs, or electronegativity.
1 vote
0 answers
1k views

Solubility of alcohols in non-polar solvents

The solubility of an alcohol in a non-polar solvent (like hexane) increases with size of the alcohol, as the non-polar chain increases. However, as the chain keeps increasing, will the solubility ...
0 votes
0 answers
39 views

Why does energy need to be "compensated" in order for solvation to occur?

I am currently learning about the physical properties of alcohols. I understand that the main intermolecular forces between alcohols and water are hydrogen bonds. When these two are mixed, the ...
21 votes
5 answers
10k views

Strength of hydrogen bonding in phenol or methanol

I wanted to know whether hydrogen bonding is stronger in phenol or methanol. I saw on Wikipedia about the enthalpies of hydrogen bonding in various cases. but could not find the answer to this ...
4 votes
1 answer
14k views

Why do alcohols and ethers have approximately the same solubility in water but different boiling points?

In Morrison & Boyd, I found this question: Butan-1-ol (b.p. $118~\mathrm{^\circ C}$) has a much higher boiling point than its isomer diethyl ether (b.p. $35~\mathrm{^\circ C}$), yet both ...
0 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to rationalise the difference in the melting points of acids and alcohols with inter molecular forces?

Acids: arachidic acid, palmitic acid, lauric acid, etc. Alcohols: butan-1-ol, pentan-1-ol, etc. The melting points of acids with $\ce{-COOH}$ at the end compared to melting points of alcohols, $\ce{...