This experiment contains various relationships within the molecular compounds. One relationship evident, is the relationship between the molar mass of an alcohol and the retention time of the same alcohol. The molar mass of an alcohol is a physical property defined as the mass of the given alcohol. To find the molar mass, you add all of the masses of the individual elements that make up the compound. The molar mass affects the retention time, or the rate of travel through the column, because if the alcohol being absorbed contains more mass, it will take longer for the mass to be absorbed. For example, methanol, with a mass of 32.05 g/mol, has a retention time of 1.050 minutes: while, ethanol, with a mass of 44.06 g/mol, has a retention time…show more content… An intermolecular force is the force of attraction or repulsion between neighboring particles. There are three main types of intermolecular forces: H-Bonding, Dipole-Dipole, and London Dispersion forces. The strongest intermolecular forces exist between polar molecules. A molecule is polar when poles are formed when molecules have uneven charge distributions. The way to figure out if a molecule is polar, is to see if the atoms connecting to the central atoms are all identical. For example, CH4 or methane is nonpolar because all the connecting elements are identical; however, methanol or CH3OH is polar because all the connecting atoms are not identical. One of the connecting H atoms is replaced by a hydroxyl group, or OH. This makes all the alcohols present in the experiment polar. A molecule that is more polar will not be absorbed on the column as well as molecules that are not as polar. For instance, methanol is less polar than ethanol because it’s retention time is less than ethanol’s retention time. So, the less polar a molecule is the faster the retention time is. Which in terms means, the weaker the intermolecular force, the faster the retention time