lower alcohols are soluble in water, higher alcohols are not. Why?
lower alcohols are soluble in water, higher alcohols are not. Why?
Alcohols are soluble in water. This is due to the hydroxyl group in the alcohol which is able to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules.
Alcohols with a smaller hydrocarbon chain are very soluble. As the length of the hydrocarbon chain increases, the solubility in water decreases.
With four carbon in the hydrocarbon chain and higher, the decrease in solubility becomes visible as the mixture forms two immiscible layers of liquid.
The reason why the solubility decreases as the length of hydrocarbon chain increases (non-polar nature of alkanes dominates) is because it is requires more energy to overcome the hydrogen bonds between the alcohol molecules as the molecules are more tightly packed together as the size and mass increases.
Alcohols are soluble in water. This is due to the hydroxyl group in the alcohol which is able to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules.
Alcohols with a smaller hydrocarbon chain are very soluble. As the length of the hydrocarbon chain increases, the solubility in water decreases.
With four carbon in the hydrocarbon chain and higher, the decrease in solubility becomes visible as the mixture forms two immiscible layers of liquid.
The reason why the solubility decreases as the length of hydrocarbon chain increases (non-polar nature of alkanes dominates) is because it is requires more energy to overcome the hydrogen bonds between the alcohol molecules as the molecules are more tightly packed together as the size and mass increases.
