Which description correctly compares sucrose (C12H22O11) to table salt (NaCl)?
A) Table salt will melt at a much lower temperature than sucrose because the attraction between ions is much stronger than the London dispersion forces that hold sucrose molecules together.
B) Sucrose will have a high melting point compared to table salt because the intermolecular forces of attraction that hold sucrose in the solid phase are strong compared to the ionic bonds that hold sodium and chloride ions together in table salt.
C) Sucrose will have a low melting point compared to table salt because the intermolecular forces of attraction that hold sucrose in the solid phase are weak compared to the ionic bonds that hold sodium and chloride ions together in table salt.
D) Sucrose will have a comparable melting point to table salt because the intermolecular forces of attraction that hold sucrose in the solid phase are just as strong as the ionic bonds that hold sodium and chloride ions together in table salt.
The correct answer is C) Sucrose will have a low melting point compared to table salt because the intermolecular forces of attraction that hold sucrose in the solid phase are weak compared to the ionic bonds that hold sodium and chloride ions together in table salt.
To compare the melting points of sucrose and table salt, we need to consider the types of chemical bonds and intermolecular forces present in each substance.
Table salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), consists of ionic bonds between oppositely charged sodium and chloride ions. These ionic bonds are strong and require a lot of energy to break, resulting in a high melting point for table salt.
Sucrose (C12H22O11), on the other hand, is a molecular compound. It is held together by intermolecular forces, specifically hydrogen bonding and London dispersion forces. Hydrogen bonding occurs between the hydrogen atom of one sucrose molecule and an oxygen atom of another sucrose molecule. London dispersion forces are weak attractions that occur between temporary fluctuations in electron distribution within molecules.
Comparing these intermolecular forces to the strong ionic bonds in table salt, we can conclude that sucrose has weaker intermolecular forces. As a result, sucrose will have a lower melting point compared to table salt.
Therefore, the correct description is:
C) Sucrose will have a low melting point compared to table salt because the intermolecular forces of attraction that hold sucrose in the solid phase are weak compared to the ionic bonds that hold sodium and chloride ions together in table salt.
What is your thinking?
Which melts at a lower termperature, butter or rock salt? Why? How do the butter and salt bonds compare?