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Chapter 8: Problem 23

A liquid compound is not heated by microwaves the way water is. What can you conclude about the nature of the compound's molecules?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The liquid compound's molecules likely have no significant molecular dipole moment, meaning they are nonpolar, fairly symmetric, and have a roughly even distribution of charge. This prevents them from being heated by microwaves, as they cannot create vibrations within the molecules to generate heat.

Step by step solution

01

Understand microwave heating mechanism

Microwaves heat up food by causing water molecules present in the food to vibrate at a specific frequency, which generates heat due to the friction of molecules. The key property in water molecules that causes this effect is the presence of a molecular dipole moment. A molecular dipole moment is a measure of the electrical polarity of a molecule – that is, the separation of charge within the molecule.
02

Analyze the liquid compound's lack of response to microwaves

Since the liquid compound is not heated by microwaves, it is likely that the molecules within the liquid do not possess a significant molecular dipole moment. Consequently, the microwaves would not be able to create vibrations within the liquid's molecules and there would be no heat generated.
03

Conclude the nature of the compound's molecules

Based on the analysis above, we can conclude that the molecules in the liquid compound likely have no significant molecular dipole moment, meaning they are fairly symmetric and have a roughly even distribution of charge. This result indicates that the liquid is composed of nonpolar molecules, as they have a weak or nonexistent molecular dipole moment, preventing them from being heated by microwaves.

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