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Ethanol, C₂H₂OH, and carbon dioxide, CO₂, haveapproximately the same molecular weight, yet carbon di-oxide is a gas at STP and ethanol is a liquid. How do youaccount for this difference in physical property?

User Cbmanica
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Answer: Ethanol contains the elements oygen and hydrogen so they can participate in hydrgen bonding with each other. This force of attraction between the molecules in ethanol are greater when compared to carbon dioxide that only has covalent bonding. It would require more energy to break these bonds. Therefore, the hydrogen bonding in addition to the polar covalent in ethanol makes the molecule a liquid at room temperature and covalent bonding in carbon dioxide makes it a gas at room temperature.