A compound that you are studying is soluble in CCl4 but not in water. Would you predict that
the compound is polar or nonpolar? Why? [Please explain; don’t just give a trivial answer such
as “Because like dissolves like”.]
Like dissolves like is actually a good way to look at it but to fully explain...
The four bonds of carbon CCl4 are polar, but the molecule is nonpolar because the bond polarity is canceled by the symmetric tetrahedral shape.
The electrons on H2O are unequally shared, with the oxygen atom is attracted more so to the two lone pairs than the hydrogen atoms. Since the oxygen atom is more attracted to the lone pairs, it carries a partial negative charge.
After explaining this , it still comes back to like dissolves like and by explain this the compound would have to be nonpolar.
To predict whether a compound is polar or nonpolar based on its solubility in different solvents like CCl4 and water, we can analyze the intermolecular forces involved.
When a compound dissolves in a solvent, it is due to the similar intermolecular forces between the solute (compound being dissolved) and the solvent. The "like dissolves like" principle refers to the idea that substances with similar intermolecular forces tend to dissolve in each other.
In this case, we know that the compound is soluble in CCl4, which is a nonpolar solvent. CCl4 is composed of symmetrical tetrahedral molecules, with equal electron distribution around the carbon atom and no permanent dipole moment. Nonpolar compounds dissolve in nonpolar solvents due to the similar intermolecular forces of dispersion or London forces.
On the other hand, the compound is not soluble in water, which is a polar solvent. Water is a polar molecule with a bent shape, featuring a partial positive charge on the hydrogen atom and partial negative charges on the oxygen atom. Polar compounds dissolve in polar solvents through the formation of hydrogen bonds and dipole-dipole interactions.
Based on the given solubility behavior, we can conclude that the compound is most likely nonpolar. Since it dissolves in a nonpolar solvent (CCl4) but not in a polar solvent (water), it suggests that the compound does not possess the necessary polar functional groups (such as hydroxyl or carbonyl groups) to interact strongly with water through hydrogen bonding or dipole-dipole interactions. Instead, it predominantly interacts with CCl4 through dispersion forces, indicating a nonpolar nature.