Final answer:
Ethanol would be a poor choice of solvent for extraction of an organic compound from an aqueous solution because it is miscible with water and forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules. A more nonpolar solvent, such as hexane, would be better suited for the extraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethanol would be a poor choice of solvent for extraction of an organic compound from an aqueous solution because it is miscible with water. Being miscible means that ethanol will mix completely with water, which would make it difficult to separate the organic compound from the aqueous solution.
Additionally, ethanol forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules, making it less effective at dissolving nonpolar organic compounds. Since many organic compounds are nonpolar, a more nonpolar solvent would be better suited for their extraction.
For example, hexane is often used as a solvent for extracting nonpolar organic compounds from aqueous solutions because it is immiscible with water and has a low polarity.