BRAINCAKEPhysical Properties
Alkanes are non-polar molecules because carbon and hydrogen have very similar electronegativities. The only forces between the molecules are weak van der Waals forces (induced dipole-dipole forces).
Boiling point increases as the carbon chain gets longer. Longer molecules have more electrons and a larger surface area in contact, so the van der Waals forces are stronger and more energy is needed to separate the molecules.
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More in Alkanes
- Branched Chains
- Cyclic Alkanes
- Naming Alkanes
- Structural Isomers
- Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
- Fracking
- Thermal Cracking
- catalytic Cracking
All 20 lessons in Alkanes · All AQA AS-level Chemistry topics