Which statement explains why water and ethanol have different boiling points?(1 point)
Responses
Water exhibits hydrogen bonding, while ethanol does not.
Water exhibits hydrogen bonding, while ethanol does not.
Water and ethanol have different molecular structures.
Water and ethanol have different molecular structures.
Water and ethanol have different melting points.
Water and ethanol have different melting points.
Water is liquid at room temperature, while ethanol is not.
Water is liquid at room temperature, while ethanol is not.
The correct statement is: "Water exhibits hydrogen bonding, while ethanol does not."
To understand why water and ethanol have different boiling points, it is important to consider the intermolecular forces present in these molecules. Boiling point is primarily influenced by the strength of the intermolecular forces holding the molecules together.
In the case of water, it exhibits hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding occurs between a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom (in this case, oxygen) and another electronegative atom (oxygen in another water molecule). Hydrogen bonds are relatively strong compared to other intermolecular forces. These hydrogen bonds require a significant amount of energy to break, resulting in a higher boiling point for water.
On the other hand, ethanol does not exhibit hydrogen bonding to the same extent as water. While ethanol also possesses the hydrogen atom attached to an electronegative atom (oxygen), the presence of the alkyl group (-CH2CH3) reduces the electronegativity of the oxygen atom. As a result, the hydrogen bonding in ethanol is weaker compared to water. Consequently, ethanol has a lower boiling point than water.
Therefore, the presence of hydrogen bonding in water but not in ethanol is the primary reason for the difference in their boiling points.