How does the carbon chain length affect the polarity of an alcohol? What effect does this have on the solubility of the alcohol

Question

anyanavicka [17]

3 years ago

5

How does the carbon chain length affect the polarity of an alcohol? What effect does this have on the solubility of the alcohol

in a polar vs. a nonpolar solvent?

Chemistry

1 answer:

grandymaker [24] · Answer 1 · 2022-03-01T11:25:12+03:00

<span>Alchols are slightly polar molecules due to their hydroxyl group. If you increase the length of the carbon chain, you are actually increasing the nonpolar domain of the molecule. the C-H bonds that make up the carbon chain are nonpolar. Therefore, as you add more, you essentially "dilute" the polarity of the hydroxyl group and are left with a more and more nonpolar molecule, which becomes less soluble. </span>