Question

Which of the following is a microscopic property?

(a) Reactivity

(b) Inter-molecular force

(c) Boiling point

(d) Kinetic energy

The question was posed to me in a national level competition.

This interesting question is from Intermolecular Forces topic in section Materials and their Properties of Engineering Chemistry I

Answer 1

The correct choice is (b) Inter-molecular force

Explanation: Inter-molecular force is a microscopic property and all others are the macroscopic property. A macroscopic property describes the characteristics or behaviour of a sample which is large enough to see, handle, manipulate, weigh, etc. A microscopic property describes the behaviour of a much smaller sample of matter, an atom or molecule for instance.