Question

Assertion (A): Melting point and boiling point of ethanol are lower than that of sodium chloride.

Reason (R): The forces of attraction between the molecules of ionic compounds are very strong.

Options

• Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

• Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

• Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.

• Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

Answer 1

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Explanation:

• Assertion (A) is true because ethanol (a covalent compound) has much lower melting and boiling points compared to sodium chloride (an ionic compound).
• Reason (R) is also true because ionic compounds like sodium chloride have very strong electrostatic forces of attraction between ions, which require a large amount of energy to break.
• These strong forces are the reason why sodium chloride has high melting and boiling points, correctly explaining the assertion.