Question

Is the boiling point of oxygen higher than nitrogen's

Answer 1

The boiling point of oxygen is higher than nitrogen's boiling The reason the boiling point of O2 is higher is not because of increased van der Waals interactions, but simple physics. The mass of a molecule of O2 is greater than that of a molecule of N2, so the molecule of O2 traveling at a speed sufficient to break out of the liquid phase has a greater kinetic energy than an analogous N2 molecule. The net effect is that more energy must be distributed throughout a sample of O2 to achieve a given vapor pressure (in this case equal to atmospheric pressure) than for a sample of N2. More energy means greater temperature.