Question

Water and carbon dioxide are much lower in energy than hydrocarbon and oxygen. Is there an intuitive answer for this? Is this because atom arrangements that have more polar bonds tend to be lower in energy? Or there are some other reasons? Or there is no meaningful rationalization here and it is just the way it is?

Answer 1

Water and carbon dioxide have different energy levels due to their molecular structures and types of bonds. Water is a polar molecule with higher energy levels due to hydrogen bonding, while carbon dioxide is a nonpolar molecule with lower energy levels.

Step-by-step explanation:

Water and carbon dioxide have different energy levels due to their molecular structures and types of bonds. Water is a polar molecule with two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, creating a bent or V-shaped molecular geometry. The polarity of water molecules and the presence of hydrogen bonding result in higher energy levels compared to carbon dioxide.

In contrast, carbon dioxide is a linear molecule with a symmetrical arrangement of the carbon and oxygen atoms, resulting in a nonpolar molecule. The carbon-oxygen double bonds in carbon dioxide have equal and opposite dipole moments, canceling out the overall polarity.

The difference in energy levels between water and carbon dioxide is primarily due to the presence of strong intermolecular forces, such as hydrogen bonding, in water. These forces make water more stable and require more energy to break the bonds and transition from a liquid to gas phase.