Chemistry Project Report on “Surface Energy”

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I, ____________ student of ___________________ is doing project report
entitled “Surface Energy” being submitted to ___________________is an original
piece of work done by me.
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SURFACE ENERGY

Surface Energy :

The molecules on the free surface of a liquid at rest experience an inward force due
to molecular interactions. These molecules process potential energy because of the
reason that work will have to be done to pull them from the surface for overcoming
the inward force due to surface tension. A molecule on the surface possesses
greater potential energy than the molecule, well inside the liquid..

At liquid–air interfaces, surface tension results from the greater attraction of liquid
molecules to each other (due to cohesion) than to the molecules in the air (due to
adhesion). The net effect is an inward force at its surface that causes the liquid to
behave as if its surface were covered with a stretched elastic membrane. Thus, the
surface becomes under tension from the imbalanced forces, which is probably
where the term "surface tension" came from .

Because of the relatively high attraction of water molecules for each other through
a web of hydrogen bonds, water has a higher surface tension (72.8 millionewtons
per meter at 20 °C) compared to that of most other liquids. Surface tension is an
iportant factor in the phenomenon of capillarity.

Surface tension has the dimension of force per unit length, or of energy per unit
area. The two are equivalent, but when referring to energy per unit of area, it is
common to use the term surface energy, which is a more general term in the sense
that it applies also to solids. In materials science, surface tension is used for either
surface stress or surface free energy.

SI unit of Surface tension:

N/m. or (J/m²).
Its Dimension is [M⁰L¹T ²̄].

Angle of Contact:

The angle measured from the side of the liquid, between the tangent to the solid
surface inside the liquid and tangent to the free liquid surface at the point of
contact between solid and liquid surfaces.The free surface of mercury is convex
upwards and that of water is concave upwards (Then, the angle (measured within
the liquid) which the tangent to the liquid surface makes with the wall of the
container, is called angle of contact.

It depends upon the nature of material of the container. For glass as the material of
container, it is more than 90 degrees for mercury and it is less than 90 degrees for
water.
Capillary Rise Method:

A tube of very small bore is called capillary. If a glass capillary tube is dipped into
a liquid such as water, which wets the glass, the liquid rises in the tube . However,
if the glass capillary tube is dipped in a liquid such as mercury which does not wet
the glass, the liquid falls in the tube .This phenomenon of rise or fall of liquid in a
capillary tube is called capillarity.

Let us consider a capillary tube of uniform bore dipped vertically in a beaker

containing water. Due to surface tension, water rises to a height h in the capillary
tube. The surface tension T of the water acts inwards and the reaction of the tube R
outwards. R is equal to T in magnitude but opposite in direction. This reaction R
can be resolved into two rectangular components.
(i) Horizontal component R sin θ acting radically outwards
(ii) Vertical component R cos θ acting upwards.
The horizontal component acting all along the circumference of the tube cancel
each other whereas the vertical component balances the weight of water column in
the tube.

Total upward force = R cos θ [circumference of the tube]

(i.e)
F = 2πr R cos θ or F = 2πr T cos θ.

This upward force is responsible for the capillary rise.

As the water column is in equilibrium, this force acting upwards is equal to weight
of the water column acting downwards.
F = w.
T = hgrρ/2cosӨ
h = 2TCosӨ/ρgr

Experimental measurement of surface tension of a liquid by using capillary

rise:

A clean capillary tube of uniform bore is fixed vertically with its lower end dipping
into water taken in a beaker. A needle N is also fixed with the capillary tube .The
tube is raised or lowered until the tip of the needle just touches the water surface.

A travelling microscope M is focused on the meniscus of the water in the capillary

tube. The reading R1 corresponding to the lower meniscus is noted. The
microscope is lowered and focused on the tip of the needle and the corresponding
reading is taken as R2 . The difference between R1 and R2 gives the capillary rise
h.The radius of the capillary tube is determined using the travelling microscope.
If ρ is the density of water then the surface tension of water is given by

T = hrρg /2cosӨ , Ө = 0◦ , cos 0 = 1.

T = hrρg /2 [where g is the acceleration due to gravity].

Pressure Inside a Soap Bubble and a Liquid Drop:

Anyone who’s blown up a balloon has probably noticed that the air pressure inside
the balloon is greater than on the outside. For instance, if the balloon is suddenly
released, the greater inner pressure forces the air out, propelling the balloon much
like a rocket. The reason for the greater pressure is that the tension in the stretched
rubber tends to contract the balloon. To counteract this tendency, the balloon has a
greater interior air pressure acting to expand the balloon. A soap bubble has two
spherical surfaces (inside and outside) with a thin layer of liquid in-between.

Like a balloon, the pressure inside a soap bubble is greater than that on the outside.
As we will see shortly, this difference in pressure depends on the surface tension γ
of the liquid and the radius R of the bubble. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume
that there is no pressure on the outside of the bubble (Po = 0). According to
Newton’s second law of motion a zero acceleration implies that the net force acting
on each half must be zero (ΣF = 0)

Factors affecting surface tension:

Impurities present in a liquid appreciably affect surface tension. A highly soluble

substance like salt increases the surface tension whereas sparingly soluble
substances like soap decreases the surface tension. The surface tension decreases
with rise in temperature. The temperature at which the surface tension of a liquid
becomes zero is called critical temperature of the liquid

Effect of impurities and temperature on surface tension of liquid:

Highly soluble impurity like common salt (Sodium chloride) when dissolved in
water, then the surface tension of the water increases. Sparingly soluble substance
like alcohol or phenol and insoluble impurities like detergent when dissolved in
water, then the surface tension of water decreases.
The surface tension decreases with the increase in temperature in most of the
liquids. But in case of molten copper or molten cadmium, the S.T. increases with
the rise of tempeprature.

Application of surface tension:

Surface tension of soap solution is less, it can spread over large areas and wash
clothes more effectively, since the dirt particles stick to the soap molecules. In
soldering, addition of flux reduces the surface tension of molten tin. Hence, it
spreads. Antiseptics like dettol have low surface tension, so that they spread faster.
Surface tension prevents water from passing through the pores of an umbrella.A
duck is able to float on water as its feathers secrete oil that lowers the surface
tension of water.

Surface Energy:

Since molecules in the surface film experience net downward force, therefore, to
take a molecule to the surface film from within the liquid, work need to be done.
This work done is stored as potential energy of the molecules in the surface film.
We call it surface energy. The net surface energy depends upon the extent of the
surface area. Greater the surface area, higher is the surface energy.

Since physical systems tend to have minimum potential energy, therefore, liquid
drops (rain drops, mercury drops) tend to acquire spherical shape. Because surface
area of a sphere is minimum, hence in having spherical shapes.

The work done to increase the unit area of the film is called surface energy. From
the above expression, it is clear that surface energy is numerically equal to surface
tension.y reduce the surface energy due to surface tension to the minimum. It may
be noted that surface tension is not the surface energy. They are only numerically
equal to each other.

In actual practice, in stretching the film, the temperature of the film decreases and
hence heat is absorbed by the film from the surroundings, so potential energy per
unit area (surface energy) is more than surface tension (T).

Thus for creating a surface possesses greater potential energy than the molecule,
well inside the liquid. Thus for creating surface the liquid has to pull these
molecules upto the surface. Hence work has to be done in increasing number of
molecules on the surface is called surface energy and is defined as the amount of
work done to create a fresh surface of liquid film of a unit area. Alternately, it may
be defined as the potential energy per unit area of the liquid surface i.e. :

Surface Energy = Work done in creating the free surface/Surface area created