Comparison of polarity between methanol and ethyl acetate

There are substances in the world, called methanol and ethyl acetate. The polarity of the two is known to everyone.

Methanol contains hydroxyl groups (-OH) in its molecular structure. The oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group is highly electronegative, causing the electron cloud to favor oxygen, while hydrogen is positively charged, making the molecule have significant polarity. This polarity is due to the uneven distribution of charges between oxygen and hydrogen, which is like the separation of yin and yang, so the methanol molecule has strong polarity.

Ethyl acetate, its structure contains an ester group (-COO-). Although the oxygen atom in the ester group is also electronegative, it is connected to the carbonyl group (C = O) and the alkyl group, and the charge distribution is relatively uniform compared with that of methanol. The electronic effects of carbonyl and alkyl groups interact with each other, weakening the degree of overall charge shift, making its polarity weaker than methanol.

Looking at the polarity of the two, methanol has a significant charge separation due to the unique structure of hydroxyl groups, and its polarity is stronger. Although ethyl acetate has polar groups, the charge distribution is relatively uniform due to structural factors, and the polarity is inferior to methanol. Therefore, in terms of polarity, methanol is stronger than ethyl acetate. The world's research on the polarity of substances can be learned from various applications. If chemical experiments and industrial production are clear about the difference in polarity, the substance can be used well and the effect can be doubled with half the effort.