Factors Affecting Boiling Point of Compounds: A Chemistry Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the boiling point of compounds, exploring the fundamental concepts and factors that influence this physical property. It begins by defining boiling point as the temperature at which a liquid changes into a gaseous state, emphasizing the role of kinetic energy and intermolecular forces. The report then delves into the various factors affecting boiling point, including the strength of intermolecular forces, the length of carbon chains, polarity, and branching. It explains how these factors impact the volatility of a compound, with examples such as 2-Methylpropanoic acid and 2-Pentanone. The discussion highlights the relationship between these factors and the boiling point, providing insights into how molecular structure affects the behavior of compounds. The report concludes by summarizing the key determinants of boiling point, reinforcing the importance of these concepts in understanding the behavior of chemical substances.

THE BOILING POINT
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The theory of boiling point of a compound
The molecule in a liquid are closely packed together which consists of several random
movements which are in constant motion. During heating, the temperature is equally increases
creating increase in kinetic energy which in turn increases the molecular random motion. Due
high intensity, such heat weakens the forces of attraction making liquid molecules to become
free and mobile hence forming a vapour. The boiling point therefore varies depending on the
atmospheric pressure on the environment. Liquids at low atmospheric pressure have low boiling
point while liquids at high atmospheric pressure have high boiling point. From the above
explanation, boiling point can be defined as;
The boiling point of a substance refers to the process by which liquid substance is changed into
gaseous state. The liquid therefore changes into vapour by the process of evaporation. Through
this process of evaporation, the liquid substance will be transformed into vapour which escape to
the surrounding (Vogel, 2013).
Normal boiling point of a compound is the evidence of volatility of such a substance. A
compound is said to be less volatile if its boiling point is high. On the other hand, a compound is
said to be highly volatile if it has a lower boiling point. It is therefore clear that at high
temperature, in a situation where a compound’s boiling point is low it will vaporise into the
atmosphere whereas if a compound’s boiling point is high it forms liquid or solid. This is greatly
evidenced by the strength of intermolecular forces in the bonding structure of the compound.
The intermolecular forces have several effects on boiling point of a compound which depends on
the functional group that exists in its molecular structure (Haynes, 2014).
The length of carbon chain has a greater effect on the boiling point of a compound.

Since Van der Waals forces are proportional to the surface area, the more the length of carbon
chain is, the more is the surface area created. This increases the power for individual molecules
that draws to each other. More carbon chains in its molecules reduces the surface area hence
reducing the power of attractive forces between each molecule hence a reduced boiling point.
Therefore, the molecular structure of 2-Methylpropanoic acid and 2-Pentanone are different. The
boiling point of 2-Methylpropanoic acid is much lower that of 2-Pentanone. Branching therefore
reduces the boiling point (Braude, Nachod, 2013).
Polarity is also another important factor that affects the boiling point of a compound. It indicates
the force of attraction of each molecule in liquid state. The oppositely charged polar ends do
attract each other. For a molecule to be called a polar compound, it must be controlled its
functional group which in turn affects its boiling point. The higher the polarity of an organic
compound, the higher the boiling point. For instance, n-Pentane contains no polar functional
group and the forces of attraction between each molecule are weak Van der Waals forces hence
making it boils at low temperature(Yaws, 2015).
Conclusion
The boiling point of a compound depends on quite several factors like the strength of
intermolecular forces, the length of carbon chain in the functional group, polarity of the
compound and the branching of such a compound.

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