Methanol's solubility and acidity

[credico]

I was reading the chem book I have and it says that methanol is a non-electrolyte. Since the methanol's oxygen has a higher electron density than hydrogen, that hydrogen has a partial positive charge. The book also says that methanol is infinitely soluble. The only reason it's soluble to begin with is the hydroxide attached to the CH3, so, at best, wouldn't the methanol be soluble only up to the point when the oxygens on the water molecules run out of free pairs of electrons?

Also, when that hydrogen on the methanol is taken by the water, hydronium and CH3O- is formed in water. The book says it's a non-electrolyte. I'm guessing that the equilibrium between the methanol and water lies so far to the left that there is essentially only product, so it's conductivity is really, really low... but at what point does a reaction's equilibrium lie enough toward the product side that it can complete a circuit?

If the methanol and water reaction lies mostly toward reactants, than I really don't get how it is infinitely soluble. What's the difference between a reaction with water and solubility?

Thanks!

 

[jbsteele]

Methanol is a non-electrolyte because there is no dissociation of the molecules when it is dissolved in water. The partial positive charge on the hydrogen of the methanol molecule is compensated by the negative charge of the hydroxide ion from the water molecule, which forms the hydrogen bond with the methanol molecule. This type of bonding is responsible for the infinite solubility of methanol in water.The reaction between methanol and water is an equilibrium reaction, and it lies mostly to the left (reactants side). However, the equilibrium constant is so small that the amount of product formed is negligible, and therefore, the reaction behaves like an infinitely soluble substance. The conductivity of the solution is low because the reaction is far to the left and there is essentially no product formed, which means no ions are present in the solution that can conduct electricity.