GCSE Chemistry Question Analysis Topic: Chemistry - Short Questions
Exam Question:
Explain the following behaviours.
(i) Alcohols are more soluble in water than the hydrocarbons of comparable molecular masses.
(ii) Ortho-nitrophenol is more acidic than ortho-methoxyphenol.
Answer:
For GCSE Chemistry, you should know:
i) Alcohols are more soluble in water than hydrocarbons with comparable molecular weights because alcohols form hydrogen bonds with water molecules.
ii) The electron-withdrawing nitrogen group in ortho-nitrophenol reduces the electron density of the OH groups, allowing phenol to donate a proton more readily. It's more acidic because of this. Similar to the methoxy group, the methoxyphenol group donates electrons to the OH group, increasing its electron density and reducing its acidic character.
Ortho-nitrophenol hence has a higher acidity than ortho-methoxyphenol.
Work hard for your GCSE Chemistry examination!
End of analysis. Great!
