Question #2943c

1 Answer
Truong-Son N.
Jan 25, 2018

Ethanol can hydrogen-bond and has some small dispersion forces. Everything has dispersion...

The electronegative #"O"# on one ethanol pulls on the electropositive #"H"# bonded to an #"O"# on another ethanol, generating a hydrogen-bonding interaction (not an actual bond). This could be done if the #"O"# were #"N"# or #"F"# usually.

  • The lone pairs on each #"O"# can act as hydrogen-bond acceptors.
  • The #bb"H"# bonded to the #"O"# can act as a hydrogen-bond donor.

Clusters of ethanol molecules can then interact via weak dispersion forces via their hydrocarbon tails #"CH"_3"CH"_2-#, which are nonpolar.

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