See image — GOC and Organic Chemistry Basics Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1 - Identify the solute: The solute is naphthalene, a nonpolar, purely hydrocarbon aromatic compound consisting of two fused benzene rings. It has no polar functional groups and cannot participate in hydrogen bonding. Step 2 - Apply 'like dissolves like' principle: Nonpolar solutes dissolve best in nonpolar or weakly polar solvents and poorly in highly polar or protic solvents. Step 3 - Assess each solvent's polarity and ability to dissolve naphthalene: - Et2O (diethyl ether): weakly polar (dipole moment ~1.15 D), nonpolar-ish organic solvent, no O-H bond, cannot hydrogen bond with itself strongly. It is the best match for dissolving nonpolar naphthalene. - EtOH (ethanol): polar protic solvent (dipole moment ~1.69 D), has O-H, capable of hydrogen bonding. More polar than Et2O but has a nonpolar ethyl group, giving it intermediate ability to dissolve naphthalene. - H2O (water): highly polar protic solvent (dipole moment ~1.85 D), strong hydrogen-bonding network. Extremely poor solvent for nonpolar naphthalene; naphthalene is practically insoluble in water. Step 4 - Rank in decreasing order of dissolving ability for naphthalene: Et2O (best, least polar) > EtOH (intermediate) > H2O (worst, most polar/protic) Step 5 - Eliminate wrong options: (a) Et2O > H2O > EtOH: incorrect, places H2O above EtOH, but water is far worse than ethanol for dissolving naphthalene. (b) H2O > EtOH > Et2O: incorrect, reverses the correct order entirely. (c) H2O > Et2O > EtOH: incorrect, places water first, which is the worst solvent for a nonpolar solute. (d) Et2O > EtOH > H2O: correct, follows the like-dissolves-like principle perfectly. Therefore, the correct answer is D.