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Rank the following compounds in order of decreasing solubility in water: CH3CH2−OH Ethanol CH3CH2CH2CH2−OH Butanol CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2−OH Hexanol

Respuesta :

Order of Solubility of given alcohols is as follow,

                     Ethanol                  Butanol                   Hexanol

Highly Soluble ---------->--------------------->------------------------>---Slightly Soluble

As we know Like dissolves Like. Water is a polar solvent and dissolves readily those compounds which are polar in nature. The solubility of all these alcohols is due o the -OH (hydroxyl) group which tends to form Hydrogen Bond interactions with the water molecules. The difference comes in the alkyl group of these compounds. The akyl group is non polar in nature and immiscible in water. As the non polar chain increases from ethanol to hexanol, so the solubility also decreases from ethanol to hexanol.