209k views
4 votes
The following compounds have similar molecular weights. which would be expected to have the lowest boiling point?

(A) calcium carbonate
(B) methane
(C) methanol (CH₄O)
(D) dimethyl ether (CH₃OCH₃)

1 Answer

1 vote

Answer:

Methane (B) is expected to have the lowest boiling point.

Step-by-step explanation:

There are to ways of solving this problem.

The first one is considering the physical state of matter that this compounds are found in normal conditions (room temperature):

(A) calcium carbonate - solid

(B) methane - gas

(C) methanol (CH₄O) - liquid

(D) dimethyl ether (CH₃OCH₃) - liquid

Methane is the only gas, therefore it has the lowest boiling point.

The second one is considering the molecular interactions between the molecules of each compound:

(A) calcium carbonate - it is a salt - eletrostatic interactions between ions - very strong

(B) methane - non-polar molecule - induced dipole - very weak

(C) methanol (CH₄O) - polar molecule - dipole-dipole - relatively strong

(D) dimethyl ether (CH₃OCH₃) - liquid - dipole-dipole - relatively strong

The intermolecular interactions in methane are the weakest, therefore it has the lowest boiling point.

User GGEv
by
7.8k points
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.