Question

Although cannabinol and methyl alcohol are both alcohols, cannabinol is very slightly soluble in methyl alcohol at room temperature. Explain.

Answer 1

Cannabinol is a psychoactive cannabinoid that is found in trace amounts in Cannabis. This is most often found in aged Cannabis. Oxidized cannabis products and traditionally produced hashish are high in cannabinol. Cannabinol is slightly soluble in methyl alcohol at room temperature. This is because it is not very polar (two non-polar rings and one polar ring) and is solid at room temperature.

Answer 2

Hey there!:

It is a solid at room temperature.

Take a look at the structure of the compound. It has 3 rings total, two of which are phenyl rings, 3 methyl groups and a pentyl group while there is only one OH. That is a lot of non-polar groups for just one polar group. This is why it is sparingly soluble in MeOH at RT, it really is not a very polar molecule (the general rule of thumb is 5 C's for every polar group for the molecular to be considered polar, this of course is a generalization).

I hope that helps.