Final answer:
Nonanol, with its long carbon chain, is more nonpolar and would be more soluble in hexane, which is also nonpolar, adhering to the 'like dissolves like' principle.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around the solubility of nonanol, which is an alcohol with a long carbon chain and a single alcohol group. Solubility in various solvents is influenced by the polarity of the solute and solvent. The rule of thumb ‘like dissolves like’ suggests that polar substances tend to dissolve in polar solvents, and nonpolar substances tend to dissolve in nonpolar solvents.
Nonanol has a significant nonpolar carbon chain relative to its single polar alcohol group. Although alcohols can engage in hydrogen bonding with water, as the carbon chain lengthens, solubility in water decreases, and the substance behaves more like a nonpolar hydrocarbon. Thus, a smaller alcohol like methanol would be very soluble in water but nonanol, with its nine-carbon chain, will be more soluble in nonpolar solvents such as hexane. Hexane itself is a hydrocarbon with a similar nonpolarity.
Given the choices:
- a) Water – Polar solvent.
- b) Hexane – Nonpolar solvent.
- c) Ethanol – Polar solvent, but less so than water.
- d) Acetone – Polar solvent, but less so than water.
Nonanol would be more soluble in hexane (b) due to the nonpolar nature of hexane which is similar to the long carbon chain of nonanol.