In: Chemistry
Tetracosane has a higher melting point than 1-tetradecanol despite the fact that solid tetracosane is held together solely by London forces because of its molecular weight causing it to have a higher melting point. 1-Tetradecanol, analcohol, contains the functional group -OH. This type of bond is referred to as a Hydrogen bond;hydrogen bonds are much stronger than typical dipole-dipole bonds found in many ioniccompounds.Tetracosane is C24H50 which is a molecule that does not contain a functional group,so the inter-molecular bonds are dispersion forces;the weakest bond noted between atoms. Based from their formula, tetracosane has a bigger molecular size as compared to tetradecanol;therefore tetracosanes molecular weight affect its higher melting point.