Natural gas, methane, is used in many homes and in the laboratory. Propane is al

Question

Natural gas, methane, is used in many homes and in the laboratory. Propane is also a common source of fuel. As the size of the alkane increases so does the boiling point. Methane, ethane, propane, and butane are all gases at room temperature. Pentane, however, is a liquid at room temperature. All these gases are highly combustible, and even though pentane is a liquid, it is highly volatile and flammable. Rationalize the relative boiling points observed for the straight chain alkanes in terms of intermolecular forces.

Explanation / Answer

The intermoleculars forces acting here are:

Van der Waals or London Forces (interaction between each other)

The Induced Dipole forces (slight dipole formation when molecules interact with each other. Little force of dipoles are formed)

The Covalent bonding makes it relatively high compared to H2 and N2 or even O2 gases

This are non-polar substances so they are not so high compared to other polar substances such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, etc.

The more Carbon the molecule has, the higher the boiling point

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