Consider water and glycerol, CH2(OH)CH(OH)CH2OH. (b) List the intermolecular attractions that occur between a water molecule and a glycerol molecule.

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Identify the types of intermolecular forces present in water. Water molecules exhibit hydrogen bonding due to the presence of highly electronegative oxygen atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms.

Identify the types of intermolecular forces present in glycerol. Glycerol, with its three hydroxyl (OH) groups, also exhibits hydrogen bonding due to the presence of oxygen atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms.

Consider the interaction between a water molecule and a glycerol molecule. Both molecules can form hydrogen bonds with each other due to the presence of hydroxyl groups.

Recognize that in addition to hydrogen bonding, there are also dipole-dipole interactions between the polar regions of the water and glycerol molecules.

Acknowledge that while hydrogen bonding is the dominant force, London dispersion forces (induced dipole-induced dipole interactions) are also present, although they are weaker compared to hydrogen bonds.

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Hydrogen Bonding

Hydrogen bonding is a strong type of dipole-dipole attraction that occurs when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom, such as oxygen, interacts with another electronegative atom. In the case of water and glycerol, the hydroxyl (–OH) groups in both molecules can form hydrogen bonds, significantly influencing their physical properties and solubility.

Dipole-Dipole Interactions

Dipole-dipole interactions occur between polar molecules, where the positive end of one molecule is attracted to the negative end of another. Both water and glycerol are polar due to their hydroxyl groups, leading to these interactions, which contribute to the overall intermolecular forces present in the mixture.

Van der Waals Forces

Van der Waals forces are weak attractions that occur between all molecules, regardless of polarity. These forces arise from temporary dipoles that occur when electron distributions within molecules fluctuate. While they are weaker than hydrogen bonds and dipole-dipole interactions, they still play a role in the overall intermolecular attractions between water and glycerol.

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