Physical Science

Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

LESSON 4.2
Properties of Molecules Based on IMFA
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Learning Competency 2

Learning Objective 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 4
Physical States 5
Solubility 5
Melting Point 7
Boiling Point 8

Key Points 9

Check Your Understanding 10

Photo Credit 12

Bibliography 12
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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Lesson 4.2
Properties of Molecules Based on IMFA

We use water to wash our hands.

Introduction
We use water on a daily basis for cleaning, drinking, and many other purposes. On warm
summer days, we often drink ice cold water. Have you ever wondered what will
happen if water is not a liquid at room temperature?

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning competency should be met
by the students.
● Explain the effect of intermolecular forces on the properties of
substances (S11/12PS-IIId-e-19).

Learning Objective
In this lesson, you should be able to describe the properties of molecules using
IMFAs.

Warm-Up

Homemade Lava Lamp

The original lava lamp is an electric lamp with a transparent liquid and a colored waxy
substance that does not mix with the other liquid. It is a decorative material that has been
around since the 1960s. In this simple activity, you will be using vegetable oil and dyed
water to create your homemade lava lamp and observe the effects of intermolecular
forces in immiscible liquids. Use your creativity in constructing colorful lava lamps!

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

A homemade lava lamp

Materials
● vegetable oil
● water
● ink/dye
● table salt
● dropper
● 500-mL PET bottles
Procedure
1. Fill 3/4 of the pet bottle with water and 1/4 vegetable oil. Add one dropperful of
the ink or dye. Place the cap of the pet bottle and shake.
2. Repeat the procedures using another PET bottle, but add a teaspoon of salt in the
water and vegetable oil mixture first before adding the ink or dye.
Guide Questions
1. Why are oil and water immiscible substances?
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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

2. Why did the ink/dye mix with water?

_________________________________________________________________________________

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3. Did the addition of salt produce any differences in the lava lamps? Compare your
observations and explain them briefly.
_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

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Learn about It
In the previous lesson, four different types of intermolecular forces of attraction were
discussed:
● London dispersion forces, which are present in all molecules
● dipole-dipole forces, which are present only in polar molecules
● ion-dipole forces, which are present in solutions of an ionic compound in a polar
solvent
● hydrogen bonding, which is present in molecules with hydrogen attached to O, N,
or F

Essential Question
How do these attractive forces affect the physical properties of
substances?

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

The observable properties of molecules depend on the type and strength of their
intermolecular forces of attraction. Materials like the lava lamp can be created by taking
note of the differences in the solubility of two liquids. The phase at room temperature,
solubility, melting, and boiling points are some of the physical properties that IMFA can
explain.

Physical States
Most of the substances you encounter in daily life exist as a solid, a liquid, or a gas. When
molecules have strong intermolecular forces of attraction, they are packed closely together.
They often exist in the condensed phase (solid or liquid) at room temperature. On the other
hand, when molecules have weak intermolecular forces of attraction, they are far apart
from each other. They often exist as a gas at room temperature. Substances such as
naphthalene or commonly known as mothballs sublime easily at room temperature.

mothball naphthalene
Fig. 1. A mothball is made up of naphthalene molecules.

Solubility
Solubility refers to the ability of a substance, which is referred to as solute, to dissolve in a
given amount of solvent at a specified temperature to form a solution. Recall the rule “like
dissolves like.” When the solute and the solvent both exhibit the same intermolecular forces
of attraction, they form a solution.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Water and ethanol are polar substances. They both exhibit LDF, dipole-dipole forces, and
hydrogen bonding. When mixed, they form a solution. If two liquids dissolve or mix
together, they are called miscible liquids.

Fig. 2. Water and ethanol forming a solution

On the other hand, hexane and water do not have similar IMFA. The only attractive forces
present in hexane are the relatively weak London dispersion forces. These forces cannot
significantly disrupt the strong hydrogen bonding among water molecules. Therefore,
hexane and water form a heterogeneous mixture. If two liquids do not dissolve or mix
together, they are called immiscible liquids. Another example of immiscible liquids is oil
and water, which you used in making the lava lamp.

Fig. 3. Mixture of hexane and water

Substances or molecules that form interactions with water are also described as
hydrophilic . Dipole-dipole forces and hydrogen bonding are the primary IMFA in
hydrophilic substances. In contrast, substances or molecules that repel water are described
as hydrophobic . London dispersion forces are the primary IMFA in these substances. Some
large molecules can have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Soaps and detergents are examples of this kind of molecule. These types of molecules are
known as amphipathic molecules. Soap and detergent molecules have hydrophilic heads
and hydrophobic tails. The hydrophilic tail interacts with water, while the hydrophobic
head interacts with the grease. They form an enclosing structure called micelles which
allows the soap or detergent to remove stains from clothes.

Fig. 4. Soaps and micelle formation

Melting Point
Melting point is the temperature at which a substance changes from solid to liquid. A solid
melts when its particles gain enough energy to overcome the intermolecular forces of
attraction that hold the particles together.

Stronger intermolecular forces mean a greater amount of energy needed to break the
attractive forces between molecules. Substances with stronger IMFA have higher melting
points compared to those with weaker IMFA.

For example, solids such as paradichlorobenzene have a low melting point of 53.5 °C since
their molecules have weak IMFA. H2O has a higher melting point because of hydrogen
bonding than other hydrogen compounds with no apparent hydrogen bonding.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Boiling Point
Boiling point is the temperature at which a substance changes from liquid to gas. Boiling
happens when the molecules of a liquid gain enough energy to overcome the
intermolecular forces of attraction that hold the molecules together.

Similar to the melting point, stronger intermolecular forces mean more energy is needed to
break the attractive forces between molecules. Substances with stronger IMFA have higher
boiling points compared to those with weaker IMFA.

Water and hydrogen fluoride are polar molecules. Hydrogen bonding is present in these
molecules, which is a strong type of IMFA. As a result, their boiling points are higher than
nonpolar molecules. The boiling point of water is also significantly higher than similar
binary compounds of hydrogen and a Group 6A element. Without hydrogen bonding, the
predicted boiling point of water should be less than -60 °C. If that were true, water would
exist as a gas at room temperature and life on earth will probably not exist!

Table 4.2.1. Boiling points of compounds of hydrogen and a Group 6A element

Compound Boiling Point (°C)

H2O 100

H2S -60

H2Se -41

H2Te -2.2

Did You Know?

Not all alcohols are soluble in water. Hydrogen bonding is possible
because a hydrogen is bonded to the oxygen atom of alcohol. Methanol,
ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol are soluble in water because they are fairly

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small molecules. However, larger alcohol molecules like octanol are

immiscible with water because the London dispersion forces are more
dominant than hydrogen bonding.

ethanol octanol

Key Points

● Molecules with strong IMFA often exist as solids or liquids, while molecules with
weak IMFA often exist as gases at room temperature.
● Solubility refers to the ability of a substance, which is referred to as solute, to
dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a specified temperature to form a solution.
When the solute and the solvent both exhibit the same IMFA, they form a solution.
○ If two liquids dissolve or mix, they are called miscible liquids.
○ If two liquids do not dissolve or mix, they are called immiscible liquids.
● Molecules that form interactions with water are also called hydrophilic, while
molecules that repel water are called hydrophobic .
● Amphipathic molecules such as soaps have hydrophilic and hydrophobic heads.
They form circular structures called micelles that engulf nonpolar grease and dirt.
● Substances with stronger IMFA have higher melting and boiling points compared to
those with weaker IMFA.
● Water has a higher boiling point compared to other members of its group because it
can form hydrogen bonds.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Check Your Understanding

A. Match the terms in column A with their descriptions in column B. Write the letter of
the best answer on the blank provided before each number.

Column A Column B

_______ 1. solubility A. The temperature at which a substance changes

from solid to liquid.

_______ 2. miscible B. These are composed of large molecules that

contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic
regions.

_______ 3. boiling point C. These are liquids that are soluble in one
another.

_______ 4. hydrophobic D. These are molecules or regions in a molecule

that repels water.

_______ 5. melting point E. These are molecules or regions in a molecule

that are attracted to water.

_______ 6. immiscible F. It has a boiling point of 100 °C caused by its

extensive hydrogen bonding.

_______ 7. hydrophilic G. It is the ability of a substance to dissolve in a

given amount of solvent at a specified
temperature.

_______ 8. soap H. The temperature at which a substance changes

from liquid to gas.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

_______ 9. water I. This exists when hydrogen is bonded to fluorine,

oxygen, or nitrogen.

_______ 10. hydrogen J. These are liquids that are not soluble in one
bonding another.

K. This exists in molecules that have permanent

dipoles.

B. Read each item carefully. Write the word true on the blank before the number if the
statement is correct. If the statement is incorrect, change the underlined word(s) and
write the correct answer on the blank to make the statement correct.

__________________ 1. If the IMFA in a substance is very strong, it will probably

be a gas at room temperature.

__________________ 2. A substance that exhibits dipole-dipole forces and

hydrogen bonding will most likely have a higher melting
point than a similar substance that exhibits only LDF.

__________________ 3. If substance A exhibits dipole-dipole forces and A is

miscible with substance B, then B must exhibit hydrogen
bonding.

__________________ 4. Small nonpolar molecules have high boiling points.

__________________ 5. The hydrophilic part of a detergent molecule will be

attracted to water.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction

Photo Credit
Warm-up Photo. Lava Lamp (8661684036) by Darren Glanville from Acle, Norfolk, UK is
licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Bibliography

Bettelheim, Frederick A., et al. 2015. Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry.
Boston: Cengage Learning.

Ebbing, Darrell and Steven Gammon. 2016. General Chemistry. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Moore, John W and Conrad L. Stanitski. 2015. Chemistry: The Molecular Science, 5th ed . USA:
Cengage Learning.

Reger,Daniel L., et al. 2009. Chemistry: Principles and Practice. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Spencer, James N., et al. 2010. Chemistry: Structure and Dynamics. New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons.

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