C5H12, pentane, is a liquid at room temperature. Can we predict from this information whether C4H10, butane, will be a liquid at room temperature?

A)Yes, it will be a liquid since pentane is a liquid.
B)Yes, it will be a liquid since it contains 4 carbon atoms.
C)We cannot be sure unless we find out its boiling point.
D)We cannot be sure unless we get the boiling point of propane, C3H8.

We cannot predict from this information provided whether C4H10, butane, will be a liquid at room temperature because We cannot be sure unless we find out its boiling point (option c)

Normally, Butane is a gas at room temperature and pressure. However too, if it is put under pressure, its boiling point rises. At a pressure of 2.13 x 105 Pa, its boiling point goes up to -25 °C which is obviously higher than room temperature. So, by putting butane at a pressure of just over 2 atm, it is a liquid at room temperature.

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C)We cannot be sure unless we find out its boiling point.

Explanation:

I will like to clearly state that simply comparing two compounds will not tell us exactly which one will be a liquid, solid or gas at room temperature.

If I want to determine whether an unknown substance will be a liquid at room temperature, I will have to measure its boiling point. If the boiling point is above room temperature, and the melting point is below room temperature, it’s a liquid. If the boiling point of the unknown substance is below room temperature, it is a gas.

This confirms that we cannot conclude on the state of matter in which a compound exists unless we know something about its boiling point, not by inspecting the properties of neighbouring compounds in the same homologous series

the answer is c

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