Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Why is Camphor water insoluble and non-polar?
If camphor is asymmetrical and contains a polar, hydrophilic ketone group then why is it insoluble in water and non-polar?
2 Answers
- GlenguinLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
The formula for camphor is C10H16O. Overall, this molecule is hydrophobic because of the large hydrocarbon content. There are actually only a few ketones that are water soluble, the most common are acetone (C3H6O) and MEK (C4H8O). In general, any organic molecule of C5 or larger will be insoluble in water, no matter how polar the functional group is, as long as it is not ionic (such as ammonium derivatives and carboxylates). At C10 or larger, even most ionic funtionalized organic molecules won't be water soluble.
