Asked by knmk

When chemists convert ethene (C2H2) to ethanol (CH3CH2OH), they have a mixture of the two gaseous substances. Why do chemists then lower the temperature of the mixture?
to collect liquid ethene and leave ethanol as a gas because ethene has stronger dipole-dipole forces
to collect liquid ethene and leave ethanol as a gas because ethanol has stronger London dispersion forces
to collect liquid ethanol and leave ethene as a gas because ethanol has hydrogen bonds
to collect liquid ethanol and leave ethene as a gas because ethene has stronger London dispersion forces

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Correct answer: "to collect liquid ethanol and leave ethene as a gas because ethanol has hydrogen bonds."

Explanation: ethanol is polar and forms hydrogen bonds, so it has a much higher boiling point and will condense to a liquid when you cool the mixture. Ethene is nonpolar (only weak London dispersion forces) and stays gaseous at those temperatures. (Also, note ethene is C2H4, not C2H2.)