Chemistry

Section A
Read all the notes and equations

Section B
1.
a. The Langmuir isotherm gives the relation between the surface coverage of a first
layer q and the concentration/pressure of the species at a particular temperature.
Derive an expression for the Langmuir isotherm.(try reaching the linear form).
b. 500 µg of silica gel was used to remove carbon monoxide (CO) via adsorption at
s.t.p. if the monolayer volume (Vm) of the gas on the catalyst is 1.11 ´ 10-4m3 how
many moles of carbon monoxide gas correspond to the monolayer volume at s.t.p.?
c. If each gas atom above occupies 0.16 nm2 calculate the specific surface area of the
catalyst.
2.
a. An accidental spill of water on a clean polystyrene coated surface gives the
following dimensions; water – air =72.8 mN/m; solid – air = 31.0 mN/m solid-water
= 47.4 mN/m. Calculate the contact angle for the water droplet on the surface.
Explain your result in terms of wettability of the surface.
b. The water droplet, when in contact with the surface was initially spherical, but then
adopted a cuboid shape afterwards, both shapes had a volume of 8 cm3. Calculate
the surface area per unit volume of a water droplet in each case.
c. Calculate the total surface free energy of the water droplet if its diameter was 2 𝜇𝑚
(surface tension of water 𝛾= 72.8 mJ/m2.
3. The effect of surface tension is responsible for the pressure difference across curved
surfaces of liquids droplets known as Laplace pressure. Derive an expression that
relates the Laplace pressure to the droplet’s surface tension, assuming the droplet is a
sphere as shown below.
 a. If the diameter of the droplet, d = 2 µm and oil-water interfacial tension is g = 15
mN m-1. What is the pressure inside the droplet relative to the surrounding water?
b. Calculate the work of adhesion and spreading coefficient of Teflon if it has a contact
angle of 110°C (surface tension of water 𝛾= 72.8 mNm-1 and the interfacial tension
between water and Teflon = 35 mNm-1).
4.
a. Derive the expression for capillary length defined as the length scale at which
capillary and gravitational pressures are equal (Young’s equation).
b. As an idealized model for capillary rise in soils, let’s imagine that the pore space in
soil can be modelled as uniform capillary tubes dipped into the water table. Estimate
the capillary rise (height above water table which the water rises to because of
capillary action) for:
i. a coarse sandy soil with mean pore radius 1 mm;
ii. a fine clayey soil of mean pore radius 1 µm.
(g = 70 mN/m, r = 1000 kg/m3, g = 9.8 m/s2, contact angle q = 0°)
c. Calculate the capillary length for the water-air interface if, surface tension g = 70
mN/m, density of water r = 1 g/cm3, gravity acceleration g = 9.8 m s-2.
d. Make a plot of capillary rise as a function of capillary radius, with a reasonable
number of data points between 1 µm and 1 mm. What is best, linear or log axis on
the plot? Why?
5. Figure 2 shows a schematic of two spherical grains held together by a capillary bridge
of water with principal radii R1 = 0.4 mm and R2 = 0.8 mm. The surface tension of water
is g = 70 mN/m.
a. Judging from the figure, are the grains hydrophilic or hydrophobic?
b. Is the pressure inside the water bridge higher or lower than in the surrounding air?
c. What is the value of the pressure difference across the air-water interface?
d. If evaporation causes the water bridge to shrink, would the absolute value of the
pressure difference increase or decrease?