Chapter 3, Problem 3.50P

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

Why the boiling point of $\text{cis-2-butene (3}\text{.7}°\text{C)}$ is higher than the boiling point of $\text{trans-2-butene (0}\text{.9}°\text{C)}$ is to be explained.

Concept introduction:

Boiling point of a compound depends on the strength of the intermolecular interactions between its molecules. Stronger the intermolecular interactions, higher the boiling point.

Among the different types of intermolecular interactions, hydrogen bonding is the strongest followed by dipole-dipole interactions and induced dipole-induced dipole interactions.

For two molecules with the same chemical formula but different structural formulas, the strength of the intermolecular interactions depends mainly on the relative strengths of molecular dipoles and the polarizability of the molecules.