Question

in the gas phase reaction represented by the following equation, methane (ch₄) and water (h₂o) are produced from carbon dioxide (co₂) and hydrogen (h₂) at high temperature and pressure. based on the lewis diagrams, which of the products is more soluble in ethanol (c₂h₅oh)? methane, because it has more hydrogen atoms than water does, so it can form more hydrogen bonds with ethanol. methane, because it is a larger molecule than water, so its electron cloud is more polarizable. water, because water has a greater molar mass than methane does. water, because water molecules can form hydrogen bonds with ethanol molecules, but methane molecules cannot.

Explanation:

Ethanol (\(C_2H_5OH\)) has an \(-OH\) group. Water (\(H_2O\)) also has \(-OH\) groups (in the sense of \(O - H\) bonds). Hydrogen bonding occurs when a hydrogen atom is bonded to a highly electronegative atom (such as \(O\), \(N\), or \(F\)). Ethanol can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules because of the \(O - H\) bond in ethanol and the \(O - H\) bonds in water. Methane (\(CH_4\)) has \(C - H\) bonds. The \(C - H\) bond is not polar enough (since the electronegativity difference between \(C\) and \(H\) is small) to form hydrogen bonds. In terms of solubility, "like dissolves like". Ethanol is polar (due to the \(O - H\) group and the polar \(C - O\) bond to some extent), and water is polar. Methane is non - polar (symmetrical tetrahedral structure with very little bond polarity). So, water is more soluble in ethanol than methane because water can form hydrogen bonds with ethanol, while methane cannot.

Answer:

D. Water, because water molecules can form hydrogen bonds with ethanol molecules, but methane molecules cannot.