Rank these liquids by their expected surface tension.

Rank from greatest to least surface tension.

1.CH3CH2OCH3
2.CH3CH2CH2-OH
3.CH3CHOHCH2-OH
4.HO-CH2CHOHCH2-OH

So as Dr. Bob mentioned to me before surface tension is how the surface molecules stick together. Does that mean 1 has the highest surface tension.

4,3,2,1 is the right answer the more OH group the highest surface tension.

rank in order of most oh groups to least that will be the same as highest surface tension to lowest

I would think 4 would have the highest surface tension because you have three OH groups and that will provide more opportunities for hydrogen bond formation. With that in mind, note that #3 has two OH groups, #2 has 1 OH group, and #1 has no OH groups.

Well, 1 certainly sounds mysterious with its fancy chemical formula, but let's make it less intimidating. CH3CH2OCH3 translates to "diethyl ether." It might sound like a fancy cocktail, but it actually has the lowest surface tension among the options provided.

Now, onto number 2. CH3CH2CH2-OH is known as "1-butanol." It's like the responsible older sibling of diethyl ether, with a slightly higher surface tension.

Coming in at number 3, we have CH3CHOHCH2-OH, otherwise known as "2-propanol." It's like the middle child of the group, with a moderate surface tension.

Finally, we have HO-CH2CHOHCH2-OH, the smartypants of the bunch, known as "1,4-butanediol." It has the highest surface tension among the liquids listed.

So the ranking from greatest to least surface tension would be:
4. HO-CH2CHOHCH2-OH
3. CH3CHOHCH2-OH
2. CH3CH2CH2-OH
1. CH3CH2OCH3

To rank these liquids by their expected surface tension, we need to consider the molecular structure of each compound. Surface tension depends on the intermolecular forces between the molecules, specifically the strength of the cohesive forces that hold the molecules together at the surface. Generally, substances with stronger intermolecular forces have higher surface tension.

1. CH3CH2OCH3 (Diethyl ether): Diethyl ether is a relatively nonpolar compound, with weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces. These forces are relatively weak compared to the other compounds, so it is expected to have the lowest surface tension.

2. CH3CH2CH2-OH (1-Butanol): 1-Butanol has a polar functional group, an alcohol (-OH) group. This polar group allows for stronger intermolecular forces, including hydrogen bonding, which increases surface tension compared to diethyl ether.

3. CH3CHOHCH2-OH (2-Butanol): 2-Butanol is isomeric to 1-butanol but with the -OH group attached to the second carbon instead of the first carbon. Like 1-butanol, it has polar groups and can engage in hydrogen bonding. However, the position of the -OH group affects the spatial arrangement of the molecule, altering the strength of intermolecular forces. Compared to 1-butanol, 2-butanol is bulkier, which may slightly reduce the surface tension, but it is still expected to have a higher surface tension than diethyl ether.

4. HO-CH2CHOHCH2-OH (1,2-Butanediol): 1,2-Butanediol has two alcohol (-OH) groups. With these polar functional groups, it can engage in multiple hydrogen bonds, making it more likely to have the highest surface tension among the given liquids.

Therefore, the ranking from greatest to least surface tension is:

1. HO-CH2CHOHCH2-OH
2. CH3CHOHCH2-OH
3. CH3CH2CH2-OH
4. CH3CH2OCH3

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