Which of the following statements about alcohols is true?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following statements about alcohols is true?
They are always soluble in water.
They have higher boiling points than alkanes.
They cannot form hydrogen bonds.
They are less dense than water.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following statements about alcohols is true?
Correct Answer: Alcohols have higher boiling points than alkanes due to hydrogen bonding.
Step 1: Understand what alcohols are. Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to a carbon atom.
Step 2: Know what alkanes are. Alkanes are hydrocarbons that consist only of carbon and hydrogen atoms, with single bonds between them.
Step 3: Learn about boiling points. The boiling point is the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas.
Step 4: Recognize hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding occurs when a hydrogen atom is attracted to an electronegative atom (like oxygen) in another molecule.
Step 5: Compare alcohols and alkanes. Alcohols can form hydrogen bonds because of the -OH group, while alkanes cannot form hydrogen bonds.
Step 6: Conclude that because alcohols can form hydrogen bonds, they have higher boiling points than alkanes, which do not.
