Which haloalkane would you expect to have the highest boiling point?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which haloalkane would you expect to have the highest boiling point?
Chloroethane
Bromoethane
Iodoethane
Fluoroethane
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which haloalkane would you expect to have the highest boiling point?
Step 1: Understand what haloalkanes are. Haloalkanes are organic compounds that contain carbon, hydrogen, and halogen atoms (like iodine, bromine, chlorine, or fluorine).
Step 2: Know that boiling point is affected by the strength of the forces between molecules. Stronger forces lead to higher boiling points.
Step 3: Identify the halogens in the haloalkanes. Iodine is larger and heavier than bromine, chlorine, and fluorine.
Step 4: Recognize that larger atoms like iodine can create stronger van der Waals forces because they are more polarizable. This means they can easily form temporary dipoles.
Step 5: Compare the haloalkanes. Iodoethane (which contains iodine) will have stronger van der Waals forces compared to haloalkanes with lighter halogens.
Step 6: Conclude that iodoethane has the highest boiling point among the haloalkanes due to the larger size and greater polarizability of iodine.
