Final answer:
2-Pentanol is an alcohol with a hydroxyl group that enhances its solubility in water through hydrogen bonding, making it more soluble than larger nonpolar compounds, yet less soluble than smaller alcohols like methanol.
Step-by-step explanation:
Water is a polar solvent, and therefore substances with polar characteristics or the ability to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules tend to be more soluble in water. When evaluating whether a substance such as 2-pentanol would be soluble in water or a nonpolar solvent like heptane, it is essential to consider the molecular structure and the presence of functional groups that could interact with water.
2-Pentanol is an alcohol with a hydroxyl group (-OH) that can engage in hydrogen bonding with water molecules. The presence of a hydroxyl group makes the molecule polar, increasing its solubility in water compared to substances with purely nonpolar hydrocarbon chains, such as octane (C8H18). However, solubility decreases as the length of the carbon chain increases because the nonpolar carbon chain can overwhelm the polar effects of the hydroxyl group. Consequently, 2-pentanol will be more soluble in water than larger alcohols but less soluble than smaller alcohols like methanol (CH3OH).