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[Alan.B]

I was provided with a mixture of propanoic acid and kerosene. Water was used to extract the acid from the kerosene using a washing procedure. I've now been asked to identify the important intermolecular forces in this extraction.

 

I understand that once the water is added to the propanoic acid and kerosene mixture, hydrogen bonds will from between the water and the acid, I assume that this is how the acid is extracted from the kerosene.

 

What I'm unsure of is what intermolecular forces are present between the kerosene and the acid before the water is added. I assumed that there is only London dispersion forces as kerosene isn't polar. 

 

Therefore I concluded that the reason that the acid is 'transferred' from the kerosene to the water, is due to the hydrogen bonds formed between the acid and the water being stronger than the LDF forces between the kerosene and the acid?

 

Is this correct? Thanks!