Final answer:
Dimethyl ether (CH3-O-CH3) can act as a hydrogen bond acceptor due to the two lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen, but not as a donor since it lacks a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom like oxygen.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of hydrogen bonding, certain molecules can act as hydrogen bond acceptors or donors. A molecule acts as a hydrogen bond donor if it has a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom like oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), or fluorine (F), which imparts a partial positive charge to the hydrogen, making it capable of forming a hydrogen bond with a lone pair of electrons on another atom.
Conversely, a molecule can serve as a hydrogen bond acceptor if it has one or more lone pairs of electrons that can attract the partially positive hydrogen of another molecule. The compound CH3-O-CH3, also known as dimethyl ether, can act as a hydrogen bond acceptor due to the presence of two lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen atom. However, since it does not have a hydrogen atom directly attached to an electronegative atom like O, N, or F, it cannot donate a hydrogen bond.
For example, methanol (CH3OH) contains both a hydrogen atom directly connected to an oxygen atom, which allows it to be a hydrogen bond donor, and it also has lone pairs on the oxygen atom, making it a hydrogen bond acceptor; thus, methanol can participate in hydrogen bonding both ways.