Chemistry 2002 JAMB Past Questions - Question 24: The property which makes alcohol soluble in water is the

Correct Answer

A

Explanation

The property that makes alcohol soluble in water is its ability to form hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonding is a type of intermolecular force that occurs between molecules containing hydrogen atoms bonded to highly electronegative atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine.

Alcohol molecules have an -OH (hydroxyl) group, which contains an oxygen atom that is more electronegative than hydrogen. This creates a partial negative charge on the oxygen and a partial positive charge on the hydrogen. In water, which is a highly polar molecule due to its bent shape and the electronegativity of oxygen, these partial charges interact with each other, forming hydrogen bonds.

Since both water and alcohol molecules can form hydrogen bonds, they can mix together, leading to the solubility of alcohol in water. However, the solubility of different alcohols can vary depending on the size and structure of the alcohol molecule. Smaller alcohols like methanol, ethanol, and propanol are more soluble in water than larger alcohols.