A sample of paraffin wax undergoes the following change: C25H52(s) → C25H52(l) (a) During the above process what type of forces, covalent bonds or intermolecular forces, are being broken? Justify your answer

(b) During the change represented above, the density of the sample decreases. Explain this observation on the particulate-level and give clear reference to the meaning of density in your answer.

Explanation:

(a) Intermolecular forces

The reason for this answer is because the substance (paraffin wax) only changed it's state from solid to liquid and didn't undergo a breakage in it's covalent bond within it's carbon chain which would have produced another substance.

(b) Solid substances are generally more dense than there corresponding liquid substances because the more compact particles are (which occurs in solids), the more dense they become. They are thus more dense than liquids because liquids have there particles loosely packed and well spaced making them less dense than there corresponding solids. Hence, the solid paraffin wax was going to become less dense because it's particles moved from being tightly packed (as solids) to being loosely packed (as liquids). Density refers to mass per volume but can also be described as the level of compactness of a substance. Thus, since liquid is not as compact as solid, it can be said to be less dense than solids.