Question

18. Suggest an explanation for the observations that ethanol, C2H5OH, is completely miscible with water and that ethanethiol, C2H5SH, is soluble only to the extent of 1.5 g per 100 mL of water.

Answer 1

Answer:

              Ethanol is completely miscible due to presence of Hydrogen bonding.

              Ethanethiol is partially miscible due to absence of Hydrogen Bonding.

Explanation:

                     The miscibility of liquids depend upon the intermolecular interactions between the two liquids. The stronger the intermolecular interactions the more miscible will be the liquids.

Among the two given examples, Ethanol is more miscible in water because it exhibits hydrogen bonding which is considered the strongest intermolecular interaction. Hydrogen bonding occurs when the hydrogen atom is bonded to more electronegative atoms like Fluorine, Oxygen and Nitrogen. In this way the hydrogen atom gets partial positive charge and the electronegative atom gets partial negative charge. Hence, these partial charges results in attracting the opposite charges on other surrounding atoms.

While, in case of Ethanethiol the hydrogen atom is not bonded to any high electronegative atom hence, there will be no hydrogen bonding and therefore, there will be less interactions between the neighbour atoms.