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Question on solubility


allthebest

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Please help me with this question:

Propan-1-ol and hexan-1-ol are both alcohol. State and explain which compound is more soluble in water. 

I said that propan-1-ol is more soluble, but I don't know the exact reason. Is it because it is lighter? I think it has something to do with the intermolecular forces of the alcohols and the water. 

Thank you

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You have started 4 topics wtf, that's the worst way to get people's attention. Please delete all other 3 or else the moderators will do it. 

Propan-1-ol is more soluble because propanol has only 3 carbons, so more of the molecule is interacting with the water than in hexan-1-ol with 6 carbons. The OH group on the alcohol is what makes it soluble in water as the oxygen atom is slightly negative in electronegative and the hydrogen atom is slightly positive, this creates hydrogen bonds between OH and water.  

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Both alcohols have 1 OH group. It's the OH group that forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules meaning that alcohols are soluble in water. However hexan-1-ol has a longer hydrocarbon chain than propan-1-ol. The longer hydrocarbon chain makes hexan-1-ol less soluble in water. This is because the hydrocarbon chain is non-polar meaning it is insoluble in water. 

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