Question

Water’s molar mass is 18.01 g/mol. The molar mass of glycerol is 92.09 g/mol. At 25°C, glycerol is more viscous than water. Which substance has the stronger intermolecular attraction?

Answer 1

Water has stronger intermolecular attraction compared to glycerol because water has extensive hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding is a strong intermolecular force that occurs when a hydrogen atom is bonded to a highly electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen. Glycerol, on the other hand, does not have hydrogen bonding.

Step-by-step explanation:

The intermolecular attractions or forces between molecules determine the strength of the attractive forces in a substance. In this case, water has stronger intermolecular attraction compared to glycerol because water has extensive hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding is a strong intermolecular force that occurs when a hydrogen atom is bonded to a highly electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen. Glycerol, on the other hand, does not have hydrogen bonding.

Water's molar mass is 18.01 g/mol and it can form hydrogen bonds, which makes it highly cohesive and viscous. Glycerol's molar mass is 92.09 g/mol and it does not have the ability to form hydrogen bonds. Therefore, water has stronger intermolecular attractions due to hydrogen bonding, resulting in its higher viscosity compared to glycerol.

Answer 2

glycerol because it is more viscous and has a larger molar mass than water.

Step-by-step explanation:

Viscosity depends on inter-molecular interactions.

The predominant inter-molecular force in water and glycerol is hydrogen bonding.

Hydrogen bond is an electrostatic attraction between two polar groups in which one group has hydrogen atom (H) and another group has highly electronegative atom such as nitrogen (like in this molecule), oxygen (O) or fluorine (F).