Question

Inspite of being polar, why are haloalkanes insoluble in water?

Answer 1

Haloalkanes are polar due to the carbon-halogen bond, but they are insoluble in water because their overall structure is largely nonpolar. The nonpolar alkyl group dominates, preventing effective hydrogen bonding with water molecules. Water is highly polar and forms strong hydrogen bonds, but haloalkanes cannot form hydrogen bonds with water, leading to poor solubility despite their polar bond.

Hence, haloalkanes are essentially insoluble in water.