Final answer:
Isopropanol may be unsuitable for an extraction process due to its high boiling point caused by hydrogen bonding, leading to insufficient volatility for efficient extraction and solvent recovery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason why isopropanol might be unsuitable for an extraction process could be associated with its high boiling point. We know that volatile substances, which are ideal as extractant solvents, have low boiling points and weak intermolecular interactions. Isopropanol, being an alcohol with the capacity for hydrogen bonding, inherently has a higher boiling point compared to ethers and alkanes of similar molar masses because of the stronger hydrogen bonding between its molecules. This characteristic may lead to insufficient volatility for an efficient extraction process where a lower-boiling solvent might be preferred to allow for easier evaporation and recovery.