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Chapter 19: Problem 43

Explain why some alcohols and organic acids are soluble in water, whereas hydro- carbons are virtually insoluble.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Alcohols and organic acids are soluble in water due to their ability to form hydrogen bonds with water, which arises from their polar functional groups (-OH in alcohols and -COOH in organic acids). Hydrocarbons are virtually insoluble in water because they are nonpolar and cannot form significant intermolecular interactions with polar water molecules.

Step by step solution

01

Analyze the Structure of Alcohols and Organic Acids

Alcohols and organic acids are polar compounds. Alcohols have a hydroxyl group (-OH), and organic acids have a carboxyl group (-COOH). Both these functional groups are highly polar due to the electronegativity difference between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms involved. In the case of organic acids, the presence of the double bond between the carbon and one of the oxygens in the carboxyl group further enhances the polarity.
02

Understand the Solubility of Alcohols and Organic Acids in Water

The high polarity of alcohols and organic acids allows them to form hydrogen bonds with water, which is also a polar solvent. The formation of hydrogen bonds overcomes the energy required to separate water molecules from each other, which makes these compounds soluble in water.
03

Analyze the Structure of Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons, on the other hand, are composed only of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The bonds between these atoms are relatively nonpolar, making the whole molecule nonpolar as well. In effect, hydrocarbons cannot form strong intermolecular interactions with water.
04

Understand the Insolubility of Hydrocarbons in Water

Since 'like dissolves like', nonpolar hydrocarbons do not dissolve in polar water. The inability to form hydrogen bonding or any significant interaction with water molecules results in the insolubility of hydrocarbons in water.

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