Why are hydrocarbons insoluble in water?

Solutions are homogeneous mixtures of two or more pure substances. For our purposes, we will generally be discussing solutions containing a single solute and water as the solvent. What is a solvent? In crudest terms it is the molecule in the mixtu... read more

Solutions are homogeneous mixtures of two or more pure substances. For our purposes, we will generally be discussing solutions containing a single solute and water as the solvent. read more

Hydrocarbons are insoluble in water because water is polar, whereas hydrocarbons are non-polar. This difference makes it energetically unfavorable to dissolve hydrocarbons in water. The water molecules must arrange to accommodate the hydrocarbon molecules, lowering the entropy of the solution. read more