{"id":42538,"date":"2025-06-29T05:58:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T05:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/?p=42538"},"modified":"2025-06-29T05:58:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T05:58:28","slug":"the-most-significant-factor-intermolecular-forces-which-is-responsible-for-the-higher-boiling-point-of-mercaptoethanol-c2h5sh-compared-to-ethane-c2h6-is-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/the-most-significant-factor-intermolecular-forces-which-is-responsible-for-the-higher-boiling-point-of-mercaptoethanol-c2h5sh-compared-to-ethane-c2h6-is-the\/","title":{"rendered":"The most significant factor (intermolecular forces) which is responsible for the higher boiling point of mercaptoethanol, C2H5SH, compared to ethane, C2H6, is the"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The most significant factor (intermolecular forces) which is responsible for the higher boiling point of mercaptoethanol, C2H5SH, compared to ethane, C2H6, is the: A) higher molecular mass B) larger size C) stronger dispersion forces D) dipolar forces E) hydrogen bonding forces<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The correct answer is E) hydrogen bonding forces<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mercaptoethanol (C2H5SH) has a much higher boiling point compared to ethane (C2H6) primarily due to the presence of hydrogen bonding<\/strong> between its molecules. Let’s break this down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Mercaptoethanol (C2H5SH)<\/strong> contains a hydroxyl group (-OH) and a thiol group (-SH). These groups are capable of forming hydrogen bonds, which are strong intermolecular forces that occur when a hydrogen atom, bonded to a highly electronegative atom (like oxygen or sulfur), interacts with another electronegative atom (such as oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur) from a neighboring molecule. The hydrogen bonding<\/strong> in mercaptoethanol is much stronger than the weaker forces in ethane.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Ethane (C2H6)<\/strong>, on the other hand, is a simple alkane with only nonpolar covalent bonds and no functional groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds. Its intermolecular forces are mainly dispersion forces<\/strong> (also called London forces), which are much weaker than hydrogen bonds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Why hydrogen bonding matters<\/strong>: Hydrogen bonds require more energy to break than dispersion forces. This means that a substance with hydrogen bonding, like mercaptoethanol, will generally have a higher boiling point than a substance with only dispersion forces, like ethane.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Other factors<\/strong>:\n
      \n
    • A) Higher molecular mass<\/strong>: While mercaptoethanol is heavier than ethane, the difference in boiling points is more due to the hydrogen bonding than the mass.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • B) Larger size<\/strong>: The size of the molecules can influence boiling points, but it doesn’t explain the significant difference observed here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • C) Stronger dispersion forces<\/strong>: Dispersion forces are present in both molecules, but they are not as strong in ethane as the hydrogen bonds in mercaptoethanol.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • D) Dipolar forces<\/strong>: Mercaptoethanol does have a polar functional group, but it is hydrogen bonding<\/strong>, not just dipole-dipole interactions, that is the key force behind its higher boiling point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      In summary, the hydrogen bonding forces<\/strong> in mercaptoethanol are the primary reason for its significantly higher boiling point compared to ethane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The most significant factor (intermolecular forces) which is responsible for the higher boiling point of mercaptoethanol, C2H5SH, compared to ethane, C2H6, is the: A) higher molecular mass B) larger size C) stronger dispersion forces D) dipolar forces E) hydrogen bonding forces The Correct Answer and Explanation is: The correct answer is E) hydrogen bonding forces. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quiz-questions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42540,"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42538\/revisions\/42540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaviki.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}