Why do alkenes have greater heat capacity than alkanes?

 Alkenes have greater heat capacities than alkanes because of their stronger intermolecular forces. Alkenes have double bonds between carbon atoms, which creates a higher degree of polarity compared to alkanes. This increased polarity leads to stronger dipole-dipole interactions between the molecules, which means more energy is required to break these interactions and increase the temperature of the substance.

Additionally, alkenes have more degrees of freedom of rotation around the double bond, which allows for more kinetic energy to be stored in the molecules, resulting in a higher heat capacity. Alkanes have only London dispersion forces ( weak intermolecular force) which leads to less heat absorbed.

In summary, the stronger intermolecular forces and additional degrees of freedom in alkenes contribute to their greater heat capacities compared to alkanes.

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