Lower aliphatic acids having 1 to 5 carbons are soluble in water but higher fatty acids having six or more than six carbon are insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol. Explain.

SOLUTION: Lower fatty acids dissolve because H of COOH group can farm hydrogen bond with water in two ways:

The alkyl group of these acids is nonpolar and hydrophobic and this effect predominates when alkyl group has more than five carbons, thereby diminishing the solubility of the acid. Alcohols are less polar than water hence higher members are soluble in alcohol.

Explain why the free radical chlorination of methane occurs nearly twelve times faster than CD4.

SOLUTION: Although C-H and C-D bonds are chemically identical But C-D bonds are slightly stronger than C-H honds. Therefore,∆H for abstraction of D is slightly greater than for H. Since, abstraction is the slow step, removal of H will be faster.

Explain Why maleic acid is stronger acid than fumaric acid.

Acidity, depends upon the stability of acid anion. Hence , maleic acid is more acidic than fumaric acid because anion of maleic acid is more stable due to intramolecular H-bond.

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