The magnitude of the heats of vaporization,fusion and sublimation of a substance reflect the
A)density of the substance.
B)magnitudes of the boiling and melting points of the substance.
C)strength of the covalent bonds between atoms in each molecule of the substance.
D)strength of the intermolecular forces of the substance.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The magnitude of the heats of vaporization, fusion and sublimation of a substance reflect the strength of the intermolecular forces of the substance. This is because these processes involve breaking or forming intermolecular forces between molecules. The stronger the intermolecular forces, the more energy is required to break them and therefore the higher the magnitude of these heats. The other choices, such as density, boiling and melting points, and covalent bond strength, are not directly related to these heats.

The Magnitude of the Heats of Vaporization,fusion and Sublimation of a Substance