What happens to the physical properties(solubility/boiling/melting point) as chain length increases, and as functional groups are added onto the chemical compound?

As chain length increases, the boiling/melting point of hydrocarbon compounds increases. This is because whether a compound will change state from liquid to gas (boil) or not, depends upon the intermolecular forces. The weak, but numerous van der waals forces increase and therefore more energy input is required, therefore BP is greater.

AK
Answered by Abbas K. Chemistry tutor

3893 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Chlorine, 15 g, is contained in a vessel with a volume of 0.80 dm3 at 330 K. Calculate the pressure exerted when the chlorine is treated as a perfect (ideal) gas giving your answer in terms of kPa


What happens to reactivity as you go down group 1 in the periodic table?


Using your knowledge of periodicity and atomic structure, why does the first ionisation energy decrease moving down a group yet increase moving along a period in the periodic table?


How do I write the full equation of a cell from two half cells? (basic, with matching electron counts and no water/acid)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning