Summary:
- Nonpolar compounds do not dissolve in water.
- The attractive forces that operate between the particles in a nonpolar compound are weak dispersion forces.
- Nonpolar molecules are more attracted to themselves than they are to the polar water molecules.
- A nonionized molecule must be relatively polar to interact with water molecules, but not too polar to dissolve in polar water.
- Small compounds such as methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, and acetone have polar groups that can interact with the polar H of water.