hexane
acetone
water
methanol
-order from most to least polar...
~water/methanol, acetone, and hexane..
I can't decide which order does the 3 first go in...
Help please...
I would go with
water-methanol-acetone-hexane
Here is a site to read. There is a table near the end.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvent
To determine the order of polarity for the given substances: hexane, acetone, water, and methanol, we need to consider their molecular structures and functional groups.
Water (H2O) and methanol (CH3OH) are both polar molecules due to their highly electronegative oxygen atom, which creates a partial negative charge and the hydrogen atom(s) with a partial positive charge. Water and methanol can form hydrogen bonds, which are strong intermolecular forces.
Acetone (CH3COCH3) is a polar molecule as well. It contains a carbonyl group (C=O) that creates a slightly negative charge on the oxygen atom and a slightly positive charge on the carbon atoms.
Hexane (C6H14), on the other hand, is a nonpolar molecule. It consists of only carbon and hydrogen atoms, with no significant electronegativity difference between them. Therefore, hexane has no permanent dipole moment, and its intermolecular forces are mainly London dispersion forces, which are weaker than hydrogen bonding.
Based on this information, we can order the substances from most to least polar:
1. Water (H2O) and methanol (CH3OH): These two substances are equally polar. Their inclusion in the first position can be interchanged.
2. Acetone (CH3COCH3): This substance is less polar than water and methanol due to the carbonyl group.
3. Hexane (C6H14): Hexane is nonpolar and the least polar among the listed substances.
So, the order from most to least polar is either water/methanol, acetone, and hexane, or methanol/water, acetone, and hexane.