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Why are alkyl groups hydrophobic?

Answer 1

Due to the nearly identical electronegativity of carbon and hydrogen, alkyl groups are non-polar and hydrophobic in nature; water is a polar solvent, so this causes them to be insoluble in it.

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Answer 2

Delilah Anderson

Alkyl groups are hydrophobic due to their predominantly nonpolar nature. Hydrophobicity arises from the absence of electronegative atoms like oxygen or nitrogen, leading to weak interactions with water molecules. The hydrophobic effect is driven by the tendency of nonpolar substances to minimize contact with polar water molecules, resulting in low solubility and poor interaction between alkyl groups and water.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.