Which substance is likely to have the greatest dispersion force? A) CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₃ B) CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃ C) CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃ D) CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃ E) The dispersion force is about the same for all the listed molecules.

Question

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The dispersion force is the attractive force caused by the temporary dipoles that occur when electrons are not evenly distributed in a molecule. The larger the molecule, the more electrons it has, and the more likely it is to have temporary dipoles. The molecule in choice D has the most atoms and therefore the most electrons, making it the most likely to have the strongest dispersion force.

Which Substance Is Likely to Have the Greatest Dispersion Force