Question

Statement (A): Alkyl halides are not soluble in water.
Statement (B): Alkyl halides do not form H-bonds with water molecules through alkyl halide, but they are polar in nature. In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

• A. Statement (A) is correct, B is incorrect
• B. Statement (A) is incorrect, B is correct
• C. Both are incorrect
• D. Both statements are correct

Hint:

Remember:

• Solubility requires both polarity and H-bonding capacity
• Alkyl halides are polar but cannot H-bond with water
• Small alkyl halides (e.g., $\mathrm{CH_3Cl}$) have limited water solubility

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Analysis of Statement (A):
Alkyl halides ($\mathrm{R-X}$) are generally not soluble in water because:

• They cannot form hydrogen bonds with water
• The energy required to break water's hydrogen bonds is not compensated by new interactions

Analysis of Statement (B):
Alkyl halides are polar due to the electronegativity difference between carbon and halogen, but:

• They cannot form hydrogen bonds with water as they lack $\mathrm{O-H}$ or $\mathrm{N-H}$ bonds
• The halogen (X) has lone pairs but cannot donate them effectively for H-bonding

Key Observations:
1. Polarity order: $\mathrm{RI}<\mathrm{RBr}<\mathrm{RCl}<\mathrm{RF}$ (fluorides have some water solubility)
2. Solubility decreases with increasing alkyl chain length
3. Both statements correctly describe different aspects of alkyl halide properties Conclusion:
Both statements (A) and (B) are factually correct and consistent with each other.