Intermolecular attraction describes how the particles that make up matter are attracted to each other. The graph below compares the intermolecular attractions in two substances. One substance is a solid and the other is a liquid.
A bar graph is shown with the title Molecular Attractions. The y axis title is Molecular Attraction. The x axis title is Substance. There are two bars on the x axis. One is labeled A and the other is labeled B. The bar for A is lower than the bar for B.
Which statement best describes the two substances?
Particles are closer together in solids, therefore Substance B is a solid.
Particles are farther apart in solids, therefore Substance A is a solid.
Particles are closer together in liquids, therefore Substance A is a liquid.
Particles are farther apart in liquids, therefore Substance B is a liquid.
The correct answer is: Particles are closer together in solids, therefore Substance B is a solid.
To determine which substance is a solid and which is a liquid based on the graph, we need to understand the relationship between intermolecular attraction and the state of matter.
In general, particles in solids are closer together compared to liquids. This closer proximity allows the particles to maximize their intermolecular attractions, resulting in a higher level of attraction. On the other hand, particles in liquids are generally farther apart, which leads to weaker intermolecular attractions.
Looking at the bar graph, we see that Substance B has a higher molecular attraction value than Substance A. This indicates that the intermolecular attraction in Substance B is stronger than that in Substance A. Since particles in solids generally have stronger intermolecular attractions, we can conclude that Substance B is a solid. Therefore, the correct statement is:
Particles are closer together in solids, therefore Substance B is a solid.