Answer to Question #136720 in General Chemistry for ck

Question

given molecular structures of water and glycerol,why glycerol has a higher viscosity than water?

Answer 1

Molecular formula of water is H2O,

Molecular formula of glycerol is OH-CH2-CH(OH)-CH2(OH),

Due to presence of three -OH groups in glycerol molecule ,each molecule can form three hydrogen bonds with other molecules,for this reason the effective molecular weight becomes higher , results the viscosity also higher,on the other hand water mole form less number of hydrogen bonds with other molecules ,for this reason viscosity is low for water