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You have three substances that are all solids at room temperature and want to know which substance

has the strongest attractive forces between particles.

How could you design an experiment to determine which substance has the strongest attractive forces? Be sure to state what you would do in the laboratory and what data you would collect.

User Nece
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Final answer:

To find the substance with the strongest attractive forces between particles, compare melting points by heating each solid in a melting point apparatus or study the rate of sublimation, recording temperature or weight loss, respectively. Higher melting points and slower sublimation rates indicate stronger forces.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which substance has the strongest attractive forces between particles, you can design an experiment to measure and compare their melting points, as melting involves overcoming these forces. In a laboratory, accurately measure the mass of each solid and place them separately in a melting point apparatus. Heat each substance steadily and record the temperature at which each solid starts to melt. The substance with the highest melting point has the strongest attractive forces because it requires more energy to overcome these forces.

Additionally, you can study the rate of sublimation at a constant temperature for each substance; substances with stronger intermolecular forces will sublimate slower. This experiment would involve placing each solid in a closed environment, keeping the temperature constant and measuring the rate of weight loss over time.

The data collected will include the melting points and rates of sublimation of the substances, which correlate with the strength of the intermolecular forces within them.

User Dcro
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