Which of the following has highest boiling point and why?

(a) 2 methylpentane 

(b) 2,3 dimethyl butane 

(c) 2,2 dimythylbutane 

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1 Answers

As the branching increases, surface area decreases. As a result, magnitude of Vander Waals forces of attraction decreases and hence the boiling point decreases. Thus, the overall order of decreasing boiling point is: 2 methyl pentane (333k) > 2,3 dimethylbutane (331k) > 2,2 dimethylbutane(323k).

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