Question

Alkyl halides though polar are immiscible with water as:

• A. To break the hydrogen bonds between the water molecules
• B. The molecules of water are held together by Hydrogen bonds
• C. To overcome the attractions between the haloalkane molecule
• D. Both (A) and (C)

Answer 1

The correct option is D

Both (A) and (C)

• To dissolve haloalkane (alkyl halides) in water, energy is required to overcome the attraction between the haloalkane molecules and break the hydrogen bonds between water molecules.
• Less energy is released when new attractions are set up between the haloalkane and the water molecules as these are not as strong as the original hydrogen bonds in water.
• As a result, the solubility of haloalkanes in water is very low.
• However, haloalkanes tend to dissolve in organic solvents because the new intermolecular attractions between haloalkanes and solvent molecules have much the same strength as the ones being broken in the separate haloalkane and solvent molecules.

Hence, the correct option is (D).