Question
Why doesn't oil mix with water?
(a) Nonpolar molecules repel water molecules.
(b) Polar molecules repel nonpolar molecules.
(c) Polar molecules attract one another.
(d) Nonpolar molecules attract one another.
Both (a) and (d).
(a) Nonpolar molecules repel water molecules.
(b) Polar molecules repel nonpolar molecules.
(c) Polar molecules attract one another.
(d) Nonpolar molecules attract one another.
Both (a) and (d).
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is **both (a) and (d)**.
To elaborate:
- **(a) Nonpolar molecules repel water molecules.**: Oil is primarily composed of nonpolar molecules, while water is a polar molecule. Since nonpolar and polar molecules do not interact favorably, oil does not mix with water.
- **(d) Nonpolar molecules attract one another.**: Nonpolar molecules like those found in oil have strong intermolecular forces among themselves (like van der Waals forces), which means they tend to cluster together and form separate phases rather than mixing with polar water molecules.
Thus, both statements provide insight into why oil does not mix with water.
To elaborate:
- **(a) Nonpolar molecules repel water molecules.**: Oil is primarily composed of nonpolar molecules, while water is a polar molecule. Since nonpolar and polar molecules do not interact favorably, oil does not mix with water.
- **(d) Nonpolar molecules attract one another.**: Nonpolar molecules like those found in oil have strong intermolecular forces among themselves (like van der Waals forces), which means they tend to cluster together and form separate phases rather than mixing with polar water molecules.
Thus, both statements provide insight into why oil does not mix with water.