How do the boiling points of ethyl halides change from fluorine to iodine?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

organohalogen compound Vinyl chloride is an organohalogen compound that has important industrial applications. When treated with certain catalysts, vinyl chloride monomers undergo polymerization and form the larger compound known as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is used in the manufacture of numerous products, including packaging films and water pipes.

The boiling points of ethyl halides increase as the atomic number of the halogen increases, moving from fluorine to iodine.1

This trend occurs because, with a higher atomic number, the halogen atom becomes more polarizable, meaning its electric field is more easily distorted by nearby electric fields. Increased polarizability leads to stronger intermolecular attractive forces of the London dispersion type, which results in a higher boiling point. Consequently, ethyl fluoride has the lowest boiling point in the series, while ethyl iodide has the highest.1