Abstract
Chemistry
Published: Not Published
The temperature at which a pure organic substance changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase is known as the boiling point. A liquid's boiling point can be determined using the capillary method, where an inverted capillary is placed in the liquid of interest and the liquid is heated. As the temperature increases, the air in the capillary escapes and is replaced by the vapor of the liquid. The vapor pressure in the capillary increases with temperature. Once it exceeds the atmospheric pressure, the vapor escapes the capillary in a stream of bubbles. When the heat is removed, the liquid cools, and the vapor pressure in the capillary decreases. When the vapor pressure reaches the atmospheric pressure, the liquid begins to fill the capillary. The temperature at which this occurs is the boiling point.
Boiling point temperature (°C) | ||
Bubbles | Liquid in capillary | |
Acetone | ||
Ethanol |
In this experiment, we measured the boiling point of acetone to be 56°C, which compares well to the reported value. Similarly, the boiling point of ethanol was measured to be 78°C. Errors in the boiling point measurement can be attributed to many experimental errors, such as heating the water bath too rapidly, or poor alignment of the thermometer and sample.
The boiling point of an organic substance is directly related to its structure, where stronger intramolecular forces result in a higher boiling point as molecules are able to hold onto each other and remain in the liquid phase longer. The higher boiling point for ethanol is observed due to the OH structure that causes hydrogen bonding between the molecules. Acetone has a polar CO double bond, which results in dipole-dipole forces. Since hydrogen bonding is stronger than dipole-dipole forces, ethanol has a higher boiling point.
Additionally, ethanol has a lower molecular weight than acetone. However, molecular weight has less of an impact on the boiling point than the molecular structure. For example, butane is a gas at room temperature and pressure, as it has a boiling point lower than 25°C. Ethanol has a slightly lower molecular mass than butane, but it is liquid at room temperature and, therefore, has a boiling point higher than room temperature. This is due to the hydrogen bonding between the ethanol molecules, which is stronger than the van der Waals forces between the butane molecules.
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