Skip to main content

Would water have a higher or lower boiling point if it were linear instead of bent?

Water as a bent molecule:


Water molecules have a bent molecular shape. This occurs because of the presence of unshared electrons on the oxygen atom.


The presence of unshared electrons on the oxygen atom results in a molecule with unequal charge. The oxygen side of a water molecule has a partially negative charge, while the hydrogen side has a partially positive charge. When molecules have unequal charge, they are called polar molecules.


Polar water molecules...

Water as a bent molecule:


Water molecules have a bent molecular shape. This occurs because of the presence of unshared electrons on the oxygen atom.


The presence of unshared electrons on the oxygen atom results in a molecule with unequal charge. The oxygen side of a water molecule has a partially negative charge, while the hydrogen side has a partially positive charge. When molecules have unequal charge, they are called polar molecules.


Polar water molecules are held together by medium strength intermolecular forces called hydrogen bonds. 


Water as a linear molecule:


If order for water to have a linear molecular shape, the unshared electrons on the oxygen atom would have to be absent.


Without the unshared electrons on the oxygen atom, the water molecule would not have partial negative and partial positive charge. The charge on a water molecule would be evenly distributed across the molecule. Molecules with evenly distributed charge are called nonpolar molecules.


Nonpolar molecules are held together by very weak intermolecular forces called dispersion forces. 


Comparison of boiling points:


Since the intermolecular forces that hold together polar molecules are stronger than the intermolecular forces that hold together nonpolar molecules, more heat energy will be needed to disrupt the intermolecular forces holding the molecules together. This would result in a higher boiling point for polar molecules. 


Therefore, if water was linear, it would have a lower boiling point because the intermolecular forces holding the water molecules together would be weaker.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more