Why is pronane not soluble in water while propanol is?

Question

Why is pronane not soluble in water while propanol is?

Answer 1

Because the OH molecule in propanol is bonded differently than the H atom in propane.  The water molecule is polar, and it 'cleaves' the OH from the propanol.

Answer 2

like disolves like

Propanol has a hydroxyl (OH), and water has a hydroxyl too (H-OH)

There is an electrostatic attraction between the hydroxyls which will form a hydrogen bond. This is favourable so the propanol becomes dissolved.

Propane is hydrophobic, it does not have any atoms that have a strong  attraction  to the OH.  Plus, if it were to go into the water, it will cause water molecules around it to become 'ordered', and Nature loves disorder (entropy)

Answer 3

What?  

" ... The water molecule is polar, and it 'cleaves' the OH from the propanol."

No it doesn't.  There is an electrostatic attraction between the positive hydrogen of an alcohol and the negative oxygen on an adjacent water molecule.  This is called hydrogen bonding..

Propanol (whichever one it is) is an alcohol and and is polar and exhibits hydrogen bonding.  Water is polar and exhibits hydrogen bonding.  The polar natures of the alcohol and water allow the alcohol to be completely miscible with water.

Propane (I assume, since there is no such animal as pronane) is an alkane, is nonpolar and has no hydrogen bonding with which to "bond" to water molecules.

That is what gives rise to the general expression that "Like dissolves like;"  Polar solutes dissolve in polar solvents, while nonpolar solutes dissolve in nonpolar solvents.

Therefore the nonpolar propane is not soluble in water, but the polar propanol is.

Answer 4

Due to the polar -OH group.