In: Chemistry
Among the following pairs of solvents, which layer would be on top? Or would they be miscible? Explain.
Water and Cyclohexene
Water and Hexane
Help PLease?
Water and Cyclohexene
NO Hexane will phase separate when added to water. The hexane will form the top layer , as it is lighter than water
Water and Hexane
Cyclohexane is not soluble in, or miscible with water.
Given the general rule of "like dissolves like", a quick check of
the chemical structure of cyclohexane suggests that it is extremely
low in polarity. It is a completely symmetrical saturated 6
membered ring containing carbon and hydrogen only. Nothing with
sufficient electronegativity to cause significant polarity, and no
asymmetry to cause any uneven electron distribution. Water on the
other hand, not only contains highly electronegative oxygen, but
also two hydrogen atoms, whose electron cloud is being pulled by
the oxygen, so it is a dipole.
I would disagree with some of the other contributors in terms of
cyclohexene though. I wouldn't say it was "insoluble" in water, I
would say it is "very sparingly soluble" in water. You can dissolve
about 200 mg of cylcohexene into a litre of water at ambient
temperature. The presence of the double bond in cyclohexene makes
it (very very) slightly more polar than cyclohexane, which enables
a tiny proportion to be solvated.