Explain the following behaviours: (i) Alcohols are more soluble in water than the hydrocarbons of comparable molecular masses. (ii) Ortho-nitrophenol is more acidic than ortho-methoxyphenol.

i) Due to the formation of hydrogen bonds by alcohols with water molecules, alcohols are more soluble in water than the hydrocarbons of comparable molecular masses.
ii) The nitro group is an electron-withdrawing group in ortho-nitrophenol. This decreases the electron density on the OH group and makes the phenol more likely to donate a proton, thus making it more acidic. In contrast, the methoxy group in ortho-methoxyphenol is an electron-donating group, which increases the electron density on the OH group and decreases its acidic nature. Therefore, ortho-nitrophenol is more acidic than ortho-methoxyphenol.