In a mixture of ethanol and water, the strongest intermolecular force present between the two chemicals is
Probably hydrogen bonding. Look up hydrogen bonding in your text or notes (or on the web) and see if you agree.
To determine the strongest intermolecular force present between ethanol (C2H5OH) and water (H2O), we need to consider the types of intermolecular forces that can occur.
1. Hydrogen Bonding: This is the strongest intermolecular force and occurs when a hydrogen atom is directly bonded to an oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine atom (H-O, H-N, or H-F). Both ethanol and water have the potential for hydrogen bonding because they have hydrogen atoms bonded to oxygen atoms.
2. Dipole-Dipole Interaction: This force occurs when polar molecules are attracted to one another due to the positive and negative charges within the molecules. Ethanol and water are both polar molecules due to the presence of the oxygen atom, so dipole-dipole interactions can occur.
3. London Dispersion Forces: These forces occur between all molecules, regardless of polarity. They result from temporary fluctuations in electron density, causing temporary dipoles to form. London dispersion forces are generally weaker than hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions.
In the case of ethanol and water, both molecules have hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions. However, hydrogen bonding is a stronger force than dipole-dipole interactions. Therefore, the strongest intermolecular force present between ethanol and water is hydrogen bonding.