Answer to Question #317452 in General Chemistry for kimmay

Question

The melting point of stearic acid is 70°C, and the melting point of oleic acid is 4°C. Explain in detail why their melting points are so different.

Answer 1

As the hydrocarbon chain length increases, their are more intermolecular forces between the chains. This means more energy is needed to pull the chains apart so boiling points increase as the size of the hydrocarbons increase.