QUESTION 11 Which of the following compounds has the highest boiling poid?
O CH3CH2CH2COOH
O CH3OCH2CH2CH3
O CH3CH2CH2OH
O CH3CH2CH2CHO

CH3CH2CH2COOH

Explanation:

Both carboxylic acids and alcohols posses hydrogen bonding. The difference between the two lies in the strength of the hydrogen bonding and the structure of the molecules.

Alcohols predominantly form linear hydrogen bonds in which the dipole of the -OH group of one molecule interacts with that of another molecule. This gives a linear arrangement of hydrogen bonded intermolecular interactions which significantly impacts the boiling point of alcohols.

However, the carboxylic acids posses the carbonyl (C=O) which is more polar and interacts more effectively with the -OH bond to form dimmer species. These dimmers have a much higher boiling point than the corresponding alcohols due to stronger hydrogen bonds. Hence CH3CH2CH2COOH has a greater boiling point than CH3CH2CH2OH.

The other compounds in the options do not posses hydrogen bonds hence they will have much lower boiling points.