Question

ethane, c2h6, has a boiling point of -89°c at standard pressure. ethanol, c2hsoh, has a much higher boiling point than ethane at standard pressure. at stp. ethane is a gas and ethanol is a liquid. identify the class of organic compounds to which ethanol belongs. a liquid boils when the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the liquid. based on table h, what is the boiling point of ethanol at standard pressure? compare the intermolecular forces of the two substances at stp. [1]

Answer 1

Ethanol is a polar molecule containing hydrogen bonds at the OH groups. These bonds are much stronger and therefore take much more energy to break, hence the higher melting and boiling points

Ethane on the other hand is non-polar as it is a hydrocarbon and only contains London Dispersion forces between molecules, which are the weakest of the intermolecular forces, meaning it is easy to break them.