Is cholesterol more soluble in water or hexane?

Answer 1

Hexane is a non-polar chain hydrocarbon; on the principle of "like dissolves like" hexane will dissolve other non-polar compounds quite well. Water is a polar molecule, as are all halogens as exemplified by the simplest common halogen of all, hydrochloric acid. Halogen acids, common refrigerants, even some anesthetics are all polar molecules and therefore dissolve fairly well in other polar liquids, including water.

Answer 2

If you were to look at the cholesterol molecule, you would see that there's a lot of carbons and hydrogen molecules, but very little electronegative molecules like those under the oxygen and halide family. This means that cholesterol is more like a non-polar molecule.

Water is a polar solvent; it will dissolve compounds that have a lot of -OH groups (such as sugar). Hexane is an organic solvent, and it will dissolve compounds with virtually no electronegative groups. Thus, cholesterol is more soluble in hexane.

As a side note, cholesterol doesn't dissolve well in our blood (polar solvent). It is normally embedded in our cell membranes (which is non-polar), but eventually cholesterol will fall out of solution and build up as a deposit.

Answer 3

Cholesterol is more soluble in hexane than in water. This is because cholesterol is a non-polar molecule, and hexane is a non-polar solvent, whereas water is a polar solvent which makes it less compatible with non-polar molecules like cholesterol.

Answer 4

Hexane is totally insoluble in water but soluble in methylene chloride.

Answer 5

Bromine is soluble in water.

Answer 6

No hexane is immiscible in water.

Answer 7

Water.

Answer 8

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