Does carbon tetrachloride have a high melting point? Why or why not?

1 Answer
anor277
Dec 27, 2016

The answer is no, and it does not even have a high boiling point..........

Explanation:

The melting point of "carbon tetrachloride" is listed here as -22 ""^@C, and its normal boiling point is 76.7 ""^@C.

For a fairly high molecular mass molecule these values are fairly low. These low physical constants reflect the fact that (i) carbon tetrachloride is molecular; and (ii) there are only weak dispersion forces that operate between molecules. While the individual C-Cl bonds are polar, "carbon tetrachloride" is necessarily a tetrahedral molecule in which the C^(delta+)-Cl^(delta-) dipoles sum to ZERO; and thus there is no molecular dipole moment to act as an intermolecular force. Only dispersion forces operate here.

Given that it is non-polar molecule, what say you with regard to its solubility in water? These days you won't find it in a teaching lab due to safety concerns.

Related questions
See all questions in How Intermolecular Forces Affect Phases of Matter
Impact of this question
11966 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License