hi,
I am wondering if benzyl acetate is polar or nonpolar? because it has a non polar benzene ring but also it has the ester bit attached so i am confused.
Also i cant seem to understand the vander waal forces that are in it.
if anybody could help that would be super
A little polar but not much. Here is a good site to compare different polarities.
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/213organicfcgp.html
THANKS A MILL
do you know the intermolecular forces by any chance?
Yes, benzyl acetate has both London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole interactions.
Yes, I can help you with that!
Benzyl acetate is a compound that consists of a benzene ring attached to an ester functional group (-COO-CH2-CH3). The polar ester functional group contributes to the overall polarity of the molecule, while the nonpolar benzene ring decreases the polarity to some extent.
To determine the polarity of a compound like benzyl acetate, you can consider the electronegativity difference between atoms. In this case, oxygen (O) is more electronegative than carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). Oxygen tends to draw electrons towards itself, creating a partial negative charge, while the carbon and hydrogen atoms have a partial positive charge.
The molecular shape of benzyl acetate is generally considered to be trigonal planar, as the carbonyl oxygen and its attached carbon and oxygen atoms are all in the same plane. The dipole moment of the molecule can be determined by considering the individual bond dipoles and their orientations.
In terms of intermolecular forces, benzyl acetate exhibits various types:
1. Dipole-dipole interactions: The polar nature of the molecule allows for dipole-dipole interactions between the partially positive carbon and hydrogen atoms and the partially negative oxygen atom of neighboring molecules.
2. London dispersion forces: The nonpolar benzene ring contributes to London dispersion forces. These forces arise due to temporary fluctuations in electron distribution, resulting in temporary dipoles. These temporary dipoles induce dipoles in neighboring molecules, leading to attractive forces between them. The larger the surface area of the molecule, the stronger the London dispersion forces usually are.
Overall, the combination of dipole-dipole interactions and London dispersion forces results in the intermolecular forces present in benzyl acetate.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.