Question

Why do alcohols have higher boiling point than haloalkanes of the same molecular mass ?

Hint:

Hydrogen bonding is the key factor for the unusually high boiling points of alcohols, water, and carboxylic acids compared to other organic compounds.

Answer 1

1. Alcohols (R-OH) contain a highly electronegative oxygen atom attached to a hydrogen atom, which allows them to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
2. These hydrogen bonds are strong attractive forces that require significant energy to break during boiling.
3. Haloalkanes (R-X) are polar but cannot form hydrogen bonds with each other; they only have weaker dipole-dipole interactions and Van der Waals forces.
4. Consequently, the boiling point of alcohols is much higher than that of haloalkanes of comparable molecular mass.