Question

Ionic or covalent C2H5OH

Answer 1

Covalent

Step-by-step explanation:

A molecule of C₂H₅OH has C-C, C-H, C-O, and O-H bonds.

A bond between A and B will be ionic if the difference between their electronegativities (ΔEN) is greater than 1.6.

`\begin{array}{ccc}\textbf{Bond} & \textbf{$\Delta$EN} & \textbf{Polarity}\\\text{C-C} & 2.55 - 2.55 = 0.00 & \text{Nonpolar covalent}\\\text{C-H} & 2.55 - 2.20 = 0.35 & \text{Nonpolar covalent}\\\text{C-O} & 3.44 - 2.55 = 0.89 & \text{Polar covalent}\\\text{O-H} & 3.44 - 2.20 = 1.24 & \text{Polar covalent}\\\end{array}`

No bond has a large enough ΔEN to be ionic.

C₂H₅OH is a covalent molecule.