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A student wants to use a physical property to distinguish between two alcohols, octan-1-ol and propan-1-ol - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 21 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 21
A student wants to use a physical property to distinguish between two alcohols, octan-1-ol and propan-1-ol. Both alcohols are colourless liquids at standard laborato... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student wants to use a physical property to distinguish between two alcohols, octan-1-ol and propan-1-ol - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 21 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
boiling point because octan-1-ol has a higher boiling point than propan-1-ol.
Answer
The boiling point of a substance is a reliable physical property for distinguishing between alcohols due to differences in molecular structure and weight. In this case, octan-1-ol has a longer carbon chain compared to propan-1-ol, leading to stronger van der Waals forces. As a result, octan-1-ol possesses a higher boiling point, which can be measured and utilized to differentiate it from propan-1-ol effectively.