Question #4402a
1 Answer
The smaller the number value, the lower the freezing point. Intermolecular forces are stronger in high freezing point compounds.
Explanation:
The thermometer/temperature scale is just a number line applied to a physical quantity. Higher values mean a higher freezing point, and lower ones represent a lower one. Thus, 10'C is lower than 20'C.
Because Intermolecular forces are one way molecules "stick together", the more energy it takes to separate them, the higher the imf between them. So, if we look at the reverse process - melting - first, you may see that the more heat it takes to melt means that the imf is stronger.
Thus a higher melting/freezing point means that the compound imf must be stronger than in one that 'resists' freezing much longer, requiring a lower temperature before it will freeze. The same applies to the boiling point as well.
