Rank these in order of increasing freezing points:

C2H6O, NaCl, NaSO4, C12H22O11

I suggest that you look them up. You will have to make an assumption at the isomer of the organic compounds that is intended, but it will not make a difference to the ranking.

PS it is Na2SO4

To rank these compounds in order of increasing freezing points, we need to consider their molecular structures and the nature of their intermolecular forces. Generally, stronger intermolecular forces lead to higher freezing points.

Here's how you can determine the freezing point rank of these compounds:

1. Start by considering the compound with the weakest intermolecular forces since it would have the lowest freezing point.
2. Compare the intermolecular forces of each compound to make a relative comparison.

Let's analyze each compound:

1. C2H6O (ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol): Ethanol is a small molecule that has London dispersion forces and hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding is a relatively strong intermolecular force. Therefore, ethanol has a higher freezing point compared to compounds without hydrogen bonding.

2. NaCl (sodium chloride): Sodium chloride is an ionic compound composed of positive and negative ions (Na+ and Cl-). Ionic compounds have strong electrostatic forces of attraction between the ions. These forces are much stronger than London dispersion or hydrogen bonding. Consequently, NaCl has a higher freezing point than ethanol.

3. Na2SO4 (sodium sulfate): Sodium sulfate is another ionic compound with a formula of Na2SO4. Since it has more ions than NaCl, it tends to have stronger electrostatic forces of attraction. Therefore, Na2SO4 has a higher freezing point than both ethanol and NaCl.

4. C12H22O11 (sucrose): Sucrose, commonly known as table sugar, is a larger organic compound. It contains many carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. The intermolecular forces in sucrose include London dispersion forces and hydrogen bonding. Although it has hydrogen bonding like ethanol, the size and complexity of the molecule weaken the overall intermolecular forces compared to Na2SO4. Consequently, sucrose has the highest freezing point among the four compounds.

So, the compounds ranked in order of increasing freezing points would be:

C2H6O (ethanol) < NaCl < Na2SO4 < C12H22O11 (sucrose)