Question

which is the most polar substance- benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, aniline, N,N-dimethylaniline, benzoic acid, naphthalene, benzophenone, biphenyl

Answer 1

benzyl alcohol

Step-by-step explanation:

In the following table we can see the polarity of the substances

Substance Polarity

benzyl alcohol 0.608 (relative) - 6.29 in MPa^0.5

benzaldehyde non-polar

benzyl acetate 4.32 in MPa^0.5

aniline 0.420 (relative)

N,N-dimethylaniline 0.179 (relative)

benzoic acid non-polar

naphthalene non-polar

Benzophenone non-polar

biphenyl non-polar

As can be seen, benzyl alcohol has the greatest relative polarity and its polarity is greater than benzyl acetate measured in MPa^0.5. Therefore, it is the most polar substance of the list

Answer 2

Aniline has smallest Rf value on silica gel since it is more polarthan the other compounds because aniline is a hydrogen donor and acceptor itmakes the molecule more attracted to the silica gel which is also also polar as‘likes dissolve likes.’