Are esters more volatile than alcohols?

Answer 1

There are two factors which determine the vapor pressure of ethanol (because what makes ethanol volatile is that it was a high vapor pressure).

What makes the vapor pressure of ethanol quite high is that it is a small molecule with a low molecular weight. In fact, if you look at other molecules with similar size and weight, many of them are gases at room temperature. The molecular weight of ethanol (C2H5OH) is approximately 46 grams/mole. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has a molecular weight of 44 grams/mole, but it is a gas. Butane, C4H6 has a molecular weight of 54 g/mol and is a gas. Chlorine (Cl2) is a gas with molecular weight of 71 g/mol! So you might predict that ethanol should be a gas at room temperature from this.

However, ethanol is a liquid. The reason it is a liquid is because it can hydrogen bond. The alcohol group, -OH, in the molecule has both a hydrogen bonded to an oxygen atom, which is allows for hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding is a very strong intermolecular force, and this is what makes ethanol a liquid (and water too, which has a molecular weight of only 18 g/mol -- water is not volatile because it has two -OH groups, and so can hydrogen bond much better than ethanol can).

So ethanol is volatile because it is a small and light molecule, but it is not as volatile as you might otherwise expect due to hydrogen bonding.

Answer 2

They aren't particularly volatile. In fact, they're far less volatile than hydrocarbons of similar molecular weight: * Ethanol (mw 46) boils at 352 K; propane (mw 44) boils at 231 K. * Phenol (mw 94) boils at 455 K; toluene (mw 92) boils at 384 K.

Answer 3

Yes, alcohol is considered a volatile substance. While it is not the most volatile compared to other hydrocarbons, it is more volatile than water.

Answer 4

Yes Beer or wine does not burn as there is too much water in it.

Higher alcohol percentage drinks such as brandy, or whiskey will burn.

Answer 5

Yes Ethanal is volatile

Answer 6

yes

Answer 7

yes