Final answer:
The polymer is soluble in acetone because of similar intermolecular interactions between the polymer and the solvent. Acetone's nonpolarity aligns with the polymer's hydrophobic nature, allowing dissolution. Water's polar nature and its inability to engage in favorable interactions with nonpolar substances do not permit the polymer to dissolve.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason why the polymer is soluble in acetone and not in water can be attributed to intermolecular interactions. Polymers dissolve in solvents that have similar intermolecular forces. Solvents like acetone are nonpolar and have weaker intermolecular forces, such as London dispersion forces, which are compatible with the nonpolar parts of certain polymers. In contrast, water has strong polar intermolecular interactions, like hydrogen bonding, and thus cannot dissolve polymers that are predominantly nonpolar and do not have features that allow for strong intermolecular interactions with water.
Therefore, the correct answer to why the polymer from question 1 was soluble in acetone and not in water is due to hydrophobic interactions. Nonpolar substances tend to be hydrophobic, meaning that they do not interact favorably with water, a polar solvent. As such, the polymer does not dissolve in water because it doesn't share the same type of intermolecular forces.