Surface tension- hmmm

[dr. dugmore]

does this make any sence?


Surface tension- surface tension is essentially the attraction of molecules to each other on a surface creating a barrier between the molecules, and anything else that is next to, or on the surface.

[MichaelXY]

Yeah, thats about how my chem book explains it. The molecules seem to want to stay segregated by their tendancy to stay bonded. ---><--- I guess some molecules have a stronger bond than others thus creating a stronger surface tension. This really sounds like a question for Blcr11 the crystal guy.

[blcr11]

It’s a little loose, but OK. Molecules in bulk solution are surrounded by as many neighboring molecules as possible and experience a uniform cohesive force in all directions. Molecules on the surface, however, have fewer neighboring molecules than they can have and so experience a net inward force due to the now unbalanced attractive forces stemming from the underlying bulk solution. Surface molecules are more strongly attracted to their neighbors at the surface to resist this net inward force. If this (or some other) force did not exist, the behavior of solutions would seem very strange indeed. The net attractive forces would continually pull the surface in, making the volume of the solution ever smaller until *poof*. Well, some sort of fusion process would take over before that, but you get the idea.

[MichaelXY]

You da man

[dr. dugmore]

It’s a little loose, but OK. Molecules in bulk solution are surrounded by as many neighboring molecules as possible and experience a uniform cohesive force in all directions. Molecules on the surface, however, have fewer neighboring molecules than they can have and so experience a net inward force due to the now unbalanced attractive forces stemming from the underlying bulk solution. Surface molecules are more strongly attracted to their neighbors at the surface to resist this net inward force. If this (or some other) force did not exist, the behavior of solutions would seem very strange indeed. The net attractive forces would continually pull the surface in, making the volume of the solution ever smaller until *poof*. Well, some sort of fusion process would take over before that, but you get the idea.

wow, you know your stuff!
havent seen you round here before ( but i havent been on for ages!)
thanks for your defination, the one i posted was done by my younger brother doing some biology work, it seemed good to me, but i wanted to see if people agreed. thanks all


dr. dugmore

[MichaelXY]

Blcr11 is da Shiazzz. Chem expert esquire. I still don't know what a crystalographer does, but that is what he does.

[dr. dugmore]

wow, he is great.