A student discussing bond polarity and molecular polarity in alcohols made the following statements:
(i) In methanol, CH₃OH, the H-O bond is more polar than the C-O bond.
(ii) Ethanol, CH₃CH₂OH, the alcohol of alcoholic beverages, has at least one polar bond, a net dipole, and is a polar molecule.

Which of the above statements is(are) true?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Statement (i) is true because oxygen is more electronegative than carbon, causing the electrons in the H-O bond to be pulled closer to the oxygen atom, making it more polar. Statement (ii) is also true because ethanol has a polar C-O bond and the overall molecule has a net dipole moment due to the C-O and O-H bonds being oriented in different directions, making it a polar molecule.

A Student Discussing Bond Polarity and Molecular Polarity in Alcohols