Question

n-pentane and 1-butanol have nearly the same molecular weights but significantly different change in temperature values. explain the difference in change in temperature values of these substances based on their intermolecular forces.
DrBob222
I'm a little confused about what you mean by "change in temperature values." Do you mean that the boiling point of n-pentane and 1-butanol are significantly different? They do have similar molecular weights (also called molar mass) but 1-butanol has OH attached to it which means that 1-butanol can form hydrogen bonds whereas n-pentane can not form hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bonds cause the alcohol (1-butanol) to have higher boiling points. The same thing can be observed in the series H2O, H2S, H2Te or in NH3, PH3, AsH3, etc etc. Repost with clarification if I have interpreted your question incorrectly.
lelia
sorry this question is out of a lab and i didn't think that nobody would understand the change in temperature since they havent done the lab but that does answer my question.
DrBob222
You're welcome.