Question

sanai was monitoring the oil spill in the gulf of mexico from an oil tanker. from her observations, she noted that the oil was moving in large patches through the water. the oil did not appear to dissolve into the water. why did the oil not dissolve into the water?
multiple choice
water has a high heat of vaporization
sea water acts as a solvent
water forms hydration shells
hydrophobic interactions

Explanation:

Oil is a nonpolar substance, while water is a polar molecule. Hydrophobic interactions describe the tendency of nonpolar molecules to aggregate and avoid interaction with polar water molecules, which prevents oil from dissolving in water. The other options do not relate to the immiscibility of oil and water: high heat of vaporization refers to water's energy requirement to evaporate, seawater as a solvent describes its ability to dissolve polar/ionic substances, and hydration shells form around polar/charged solutes in water.

Answer:

Hydrophobic interactions