BRAINCAKEPhysical Properties of Carboxylic Acids
The carboxyl group contains a polar C=O bond and a polar O-H bond, so carboxylic acids can form hydrogen bonds. This controls their boiling temperatures and solubility.
Boiling temperatures: carboxylic acid molecules hydrogen bond strongly to each other. In the pure liquid, and even in the vapour, pairs of molecules join to form dimers, held together by two hydrogen bonds between the C=O of one molecule and the O-H of the other. This effectively doubles the size of the particle, so the London forces between dimers are also larger.
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More in Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives
- Carboxylic Acids
- Preparation of Carboxylic Acids
- Reduction of Carboxylic Acids
- Reactions with Bases
- Reaction with PCl5
- Esterification
- Acyl Chlorides
- Reactions of Acyl Chlorides with Water, Alcohols, Ammonia and Amines
All 12 lessons in Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives · All Edexcel A-level Chemistry topics