Poiling Points

The chart below shows the boiling points of the following simple primary alcohols with up to 4 carbon atoms:

These boiling points are compared with those of the equivalent alkanes (methane to butane) with the same number of carbon atoms.

Notice that:

• The boiling point of an alcohol is always significantly higher than that of the analogous alkane.
• 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.