Final answer:
CH3CH2OH (ethanol) molecules interact with other ethanol molecules through hydrogen bonding due to the hydroxyl (-OH) group, in which oxygen acts as a hydrogen bond acceptor and the hydrogen as a donor.
Step-by-step explanation:
The molecule CH3CH2OH (ethanol) can interact with other like molecules through hydrogen bonding . This interaction is due to the presence of an -OH (hydroxyl) group, which contains a highly electronegative oxygen atom bonded to a hydrogen atom. The oxygen's lone pairs can act as hydrogen bond acceptors, while the hydrogen atom in the -OH group can act as a hydrogen bond donor when close to electronegative atoms like oxygen or nitrogen in nearby molecules.
Molecules of ethanol can align themselves such that the hydrogen atom of one molecule's hydroxyl group is close to the oxygen of another's, creating a hydrogen bond. These bonds are a type of dipole-dipole interaction which is significantly stronger than the usual van der Waals forces, contributing to higher boiling points and specific heat capacities of substances that exhibit hydrogen bonding compared to those that do not have this capability.