PPT Slide
- Molecules at the surface experience a net attraction pulling them downward toward the interior (bulk) of the liquid.
- To increase surface area, molecules must move to the surface losing some attractions of the bulk. Liquid surfaces tend to have small areas.
- The surface tension of a liquid is the energy required to increase the surface area by a given amount (in J/m 2 ).
- In general, the stronger the forces between the particles in a liquid, the greater is the surface tension.
- Capillary action, or capillarity, is the rise of a liquid through a narrow tube against the pull of gravity.
- It results from a competition of intermolecular forces in the liquid (cohesive forces) with those between the liquid and the tube walls (adhesive forces).
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