Why are alcohol boiling points higher than hydrocarbons?

Because alcohols have much stronger intermolecular bonds than hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons have an intermolecular bond called van der Waal's forces, also known as London forces or temporary dipole - induced dipole attraction. The movement of electro... read more

This stickiness is why it takes more heat to boil alcohols than it does alkanes. Van der Waals Force The difference in boiling points between an alcohol and an alkane that are of the same length decreases as the length of the chain increases. read more

By Andrea Becker; Updated March 09, 2018 Boiling points are one of a suite of physical characteristics listed for elements and compounds in tables that can seem endless. read more

The boiling point of an alcohol is always much higher than that of the alkane with the same number of carbon atoms. The boiling points of the alcohols increase as the number of carbon atoms increases. The patterns in boiling point reflect the patterns in intermolecular attractions. read more