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Type your answer in the box. An alcohol possesses a(n) hydroxyl (-OH) group and a(n) hydrocarbon chain. Due to its polarity,
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Due to the difference in electronegativities of hydrogen and oxygen atoms (oxygen being more electronegative than hydrogen), the hydroxyl group (-OH) in an alcohol is polar as O gets a partial negative charge and H gets a partial positive charge. Also we know that like dissolves like. So being polar an alcohol is soluble in polar solvents (like water).

However, an alcohol also has a hydrocarbon part (hydrophobic) which is non-polar due to negligible difference in electronegativities of Carbon and hydrogen atoms. So it is also soluble in non-polar solvents.

Larger the non-polar hydrocarbon part, more soluble it is in non-polar solvents and less soluble it is in polar solvents. Smaller the hydrocarbon part more soluble it is in polar solvents and less soluble it is in non-polar solvents.

An alcohol possesses a polar hydroxyl group and a non-polar hydrocarbon chain. Due to its varying polarity, an alcohol is able to dissolve in both polar and non-polar solvents.

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