O-Nitrophenol is steam volatile, while p-nitrophenol is not. Explain.
Or
Boiling point of o-nitrophenol is less than p-nitrophenol. Explain.
In o-nitrophenol, intramolecular hydrogen bonding is present while intermolecular hydrogen bonding is present in the molecules of p-nitrophenol. Energy is required to overcome attractive forces in the molecules of p-nitrophenol but no such energy is needed in case of molecules in o-nitrophenol. This means that the boiling point of o-nitrophenol is less and is steam volatile while that of p-nitrophenol is more and is, therefore, non-volatile in steam.
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