Which statement best explains why water is unable to dissolve substances like oil?

• A. Water and oil both have strong hydrogen bonding, which prevents them from mixing.
• B. Water is a polar molecule, while oil is nonpolar, so there are weak intermolecular attractions between them.
• C. Oil molecules are too large to fit between water molecules.
• D. Water is nonpolar and cannot interact with the polar molecules in oil.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of polarity: Water is a polar molecule, meaning it has a partial positive charge on one side and a partial negative charge on the other, due to the difference in electronegativity between hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
2. Recognize that oil is nonpolar, meaning its molecules have an even distribution of charge and do not have distinct positive or negative poles.
3. Recall the principle 'like dissolves like,' which means polar solvents tend to dissolve polar solutes, and nonpolar solvents tend to dissolve nonpolar solutes.
4. Analyze the intermolecular forces: Water molecules interact strongly with each other through hydrogen bonding, a type of strong dipole-dipole interaction, while oil molecules interact mainly through weaker London dispersion forces.
5. Conclude that because water is polar and oil is nonpolar, the intermolecular attractions between water and oil molecules are weak, preventing oil from dissolving in water.