Question

Would you expect carboxylic acids with general formula CH3(CH2)nCOOH to become more or less water soluble as n increases? Explain.

Answer 1

Answer:

less soluble

Explanation:

As n increases, the non polar hydrocarbon tail increases in length, while there is only one polar carboxylic group at the end. Since only the carboxylic group can form hydrogen bond with water, and the non polar hydrocarbon tail cannot, the long tail will hinder the formation of hydrogen bond between acid and water molecules, hence solubility decreases.