Haloalkanes

Haloalkanes are alkanes with halogen functional groups
The general formula is CnH2n+1X
They are often used in the production of synthetic products such as PVC, as a solvent in dry cleaning and
When reacting, it is nearly always the C-X bond that breaks
The C-X bond is polar as the carbon is partially positive and the halogen partially negative due to the nature of the halogens electro-negativities.
The C-X bond is however not polar enough to dissolve in water so it is insoluble.
It is the bond polarity as well as the bond enthalpy that determines the reactivity of a haloalkane.
The most reactive of the haloalkanes are those that contain a C-I (iodine) bond as the bond enthalphy of C-I is the lowest, so is most easily broken releasing the iodine.
The C-F bond would be the most polar due to the high electronegativity of the fluorine atom (the most electronegative atom)
The main IMF are dipole-dipole forces and Van der Waals
The mpt's and bpt's of haloalkanes increase with chain length, and as you go down halogen group. However, with increased branching bpt/mpt decrease.

	Created by Tamzin Hull over 10 years ago

AQA Chemistry UNIT 2