Sage-Tips

What is the relationship of convex and concave meniscus with intermolecular forces of attraction?

A concave meniscus, which is what you normally will see, occurs when the molecules of the liquid are attracted to those of the container. This occurs with water and a glass tube. A convex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to the container, as with mercury and glass.

What role does the surface tension of a liquid play when a glass tube of small diameter is dipped into it?

The curved surface of a fluid in a tube is called a meniscus. The tendency of surface tension is always to reduce the surface area. Surface tension thus flattens the curved liquid surface in a capillary tube. This results in a downward force in mercury and an upward force in water, as seen in Figure 8.

What are the properties that a liquid achieve due to surface tension?

Surface tension, capillary action, and viscosity are unique properties of liquids that depend on the nature of intermolecular interactions. Surface tension is the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid by a given amount. The stronger the intermolecular interactions, the greater the surface tension.

Which of the following is a factor that determines how high a liquid will rise in a capillary tube?

The extent of the rise (or fall) is directly proportional to the surface tension of the liquid and inversely proportional to the density of the liquid and the radius of the tube. g is the acceleration due to gravity, 9.8 m/s2….7.1: Surface Tension, Viscosity, and Capillary Action.

Substance	Formula	Viscosity (mPa·s)
motor oil	variable	~50–500

Why water make concave surface in the glass tube while mercury makes convex surface?

When liquid water is confined in a tube, its surface (meniscus) has a concave shape because water wets the surface and creeps up the side. When liquid mercury is confined in a tube, its surface (meniscus) has a convex shape because the cohesive forces in liquid mercury tend to draw it into a drop.

Is a convex meniscus expected when a capillary tube coated throughout with paraffin wax is dipped in water?

Water rises in a glass capillary tube, but descends if the bore of the capillary tube is coated with paraffin wax. Water meniscus in a glass tube is concave while that of mercury is convex.

How does the surface tension of water compare to the surface tension of other liquids?

How does the surface tension of water compare with the surface tensions of most other liquids? It is higher.

Why do liquids possess surface tension?

Surface Tension: “The property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force, due to the cohesive nature of its molecules.” The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension.

Is surface tension a cohesion or adhesion?

The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension.

When the surface of a liquid is increased?

On increasing the surface area, the number of molecules in contact at the surface of liquid increases, and evaporation takes place rapidly.

Why water has concave meniscus and mercury a convex meniscus?

Is a convex meniscus expected?

Water meniscus is convex, mercury menisucs is concave It all depends on if the molecules of the liquid are more attracted to the outside material or to themselves. A concave meniscus, which is what you normally will see, occurs when the molecules of the liquid are attracted to those of the container.