The physical properties of a compound include such things as its color, odor, refractive index, density, solubility, melting point, and boiling point. The exact values of the physical properties of a compound depend on its molecular structure. All the physical properties of a compound correlate with its molecular structure. Although chemists cannot examine the structure of a compound and predict the exact values for these physical properties, they can look at two compounds with similar structures and determine which has the higher melting or boiling point. By knowing the structure of a compound, a chemist can also choose a better solvent to extract or recrystallize the compound.
Knowledge of physical properties—such as solubilities, melting or boiling points, and density—will assist you in making judgments about the practical aspects of the isolation and purification of new molecules. This translates into doing better laboratory work. Understanding how molecules interact physically leads to a better understanding of how they interact in a chemical reaction. This chapter shows you how to use the molecular structure to predict qualitatively the physical properties of compounds. You can qualitatively predict physical properties because they relate to differences in intermolecular forces.
Knowledge of physical properties—such as solubilities, melting or boiling points, and density—will assist you in making judgments about the practical aspects of the isolation and purification of new molecules. This translates into doing better laboratory work. Understanding how molecules interact physically leads to a better understanding of how they interact in a chemical reaction. This chapter shows you how to use the molecular structure to predict qualitatively the physical properties of compounds. You can qualitatively predict physical properties because they relate to differences in intermolecular forces.
No comments:
Post a Comment