**Boiling Point of Alcohol vs Hydrocarbons**

The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which it changes from a liquid to a gas phase. It is influenced by various factors including intermolecular forces, molecular size, and molecular weight. When comparing the boiling points of alcohol and hydrocarbons of comparable molar masses, it is observed that the boiling point of alcohol is generally higher. This can be explained by the following factors:

**Intermolecular Forces:**

Intermolecular forces are attractive forces between molecules and significantly affect the boiling point. The primary intermolecular force in alcohol is hydrogen bonding, whereas hydrocarbons mainly experience weaker London dispersion forces. Hydrogen bonding is a strong intermolecular force that occurs when a hydrogen atom is bonded to a highly electronegative atom (such as oxygen or nitrogen), and it interacts with another electronegative atom. This results in a particularly strong attraction between alcohol molecules.

**Hydrogen Bonding:**

In alcohol molecules, the presence of an -OH group allows for the formation of hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds are stronger than the temporary London dispersion forces experienced by hydrocarbons. These hydrogen bonds require more energy to break, leading to a higher boiling point for alcohols compared to hydrocarbons.

**Polarity:**

Alcohol molecules are polar due to the electronegativity difference between oxygen and hydrogen atoms. This polarity enhances the strength of intermolecular forces, including hydrogen bonding. In contrast, hydrocarbons are nonpolar molecules since they consist only of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Nonpolar molecules have weaker intermolecular forces, resulting in lower boiling points.

**Molecular Size:**

Although both alcohols and hydrocarbons have comparable molar masses, the presence of oxygen in alcohol molecules increases their molecular size. The larger size of alcohol molecules leads to a higher boiling point as it requires more energy to overcome the stronger intermolecular forces.

**Conclusion:**

In summary, the boiling point of alcohol is generally higher than that of hydrocarbons of comparable molar masses due to the presence of hydrogen bonding, increased polarity, and larger molecular size. These factors result in stronger intermolecular forces between alcohol molecules, requiring more energy to break these bonds and transition from a liquid to a gas phase.