September 7, 2016Leave a Comment

Have you ever noticed that rain drops do not stick to glass panes uniformly? And what is so
special about soap water that it can clean clothes, but normal water can’t? How are both of
these questions even connected? They are connected in terms of the surface tension of water!

The water drops do not stick to the glass panes because of surface tension due to their
cohesive forces not letting them stick to the glass panes. And the same thing happens when
you try to wash clothes with water. The water doesn’t wet the clothes (or in other words, stick
to them) enough for it to actually clean the dirt off your clothes.

This is where detergent or soap comes in. Adding detergent to water reduces its surface
tension. Detergents and soaps have something called surface active agent, or surfactants for
short. These surfactants reduce the surface tension value of water and enhance its ability to
stick to things. Water sticks to the clothes and because of this is able to seep through thin
fibers of dirty clothes and spread over a larger area (therefore increasing its area of influence)
than it usually could have.
Surfactants in detergents play a very important role here. On one end, they attach themselves
to the water molecules and on the other end they attach themselves to the dirt present in
unclean clothes. The surfactants help spread water, then they act on the grease by attaching
themselves to it, and when this water is disposed, it carries away all the dirt with it.

This is why water alone will not help with cleaning action. The surfactants are very useful in
this way that they are made of two ends, one which is attracted to water, hydrophilic, and
attaches itself there, while the other is attracted to grease, oily substances, hydrophobic, and
dirt and attaches itself there.
There are many interesting phenomena all over the world…

To learn about these log on to our learning app for free. Keep Learning with BYJU’S – The
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http://www.learncbse.in/to-study-the-effect-of-detergent-on-surface-tension-of-water-by-
observing-capillary-rise/
Surface tension is a phenomenon in which the surface of a liquid, where the liquid is in contact with
gas, acts like a thin elastic sheet. This term is typically used only when the liquid surface is in contact
with gas (such as the air). If the surface is between two liquids (such as water and oil), it is called
"interface tension."
Causes of Surface Tension
Various intermolecular forces, such as Vander Waals forces, draw the liquid particles together. Along
the surface, the particles are pulled toward the rest of the liquid, as shown in the picture to the right.

Units of Surface Tension

Surface tension is measured in SI units of N/m (Newton per meter), although the more common unit is
the cgs unit dyne/cm (dyne per centimeter).

When an object falls onto the surface, it has to push the water molecules apart. If the effect of the
weight of the object is insufficient to match the attractive forces between molecules in the surface
layer, the object will not enter the surface.
There is a net force of attraction between the molecules of water (or any other liquid) holding the
molecules together. For a molecule in the middle of the liquid, these forces, acting equally in all
directions, more or less balancing out. For a molecule in the surface layer of the liquid, the forces do
not balance out, and all the molecules in the surface layer are pulled towards each other and towards
the bulk of the liquid. This brings these molecules closer to their neighbors until increasing forces of
repulsion create a new balance, and gives rise to the phenomenon of surface tension.
In order to consider the thermodynamics of the situation, it is sometimes useful to consider it in
terms of work per unit area. The SI unit in that case is the J/m2 (joules per meter squared). The cgs
unit is erg/cm2.

These forces bind the surface particles together. Though this binding is weak - it's pretty easy to
break the surface of a liquid after all - it does manifest in many ways.
Examples of Surface Tension
Drops of water. When using a water dropper, the water does not flow in a continuous stream, but
rather in a series of drops. The shape of the drops is caused by the surface tension of the water. The
only reason the drop of water isn't completely spherical is because of the force of gravity pulling down
on it. In the absence of gravity, the drop would minimize the surface area in order to minimize tension,
which would result in a perfectly spherical shape.
Expression for surface tension on the basis of excess pressure
consideration

Let the capillary tube of radius r is dipped vertically in a liquid (e.g. liquid) which wet the wall of the
tube and has the concave meniscus. we know that there always exists an excess pressure,
Equal to 2T/R on the concave side of liquid-air interface. Where T is the surface tension of liquid and
R is the radius of the curvature of the meniscus. Therefore the pressure just below the meniscus is
less than the pressure just above it by 2T/R

http://scienceelectronics.blogspot.co.id/2012/08/experimential-verification-of.html
How Does Detergent Break Surface Tension?
By Athena Hessong; Updated February 07, 2018

Detergent molecules have a very clever property, with one end hydrophilic, or water-
loving, and the other hydrophobic, or repelled by water. This dual nature allows
detergent to attract both water and oil, which gives it its ability to clean your laundry.
It is also very effective at reducing the surface tension of water by pushing apart
water molecules with the hydrophobic end of the detergent molecule.
Water Molecules and Surface Tension

Water holds unique properties which makes it "sticky" at the surface. Each individual
water molecule has one large oxygen atom and two smaller hydrogen atoms. The
hydrogen atoms hold a slightly positive charge, making the entire water molecule
polar. Like tiny magnets, the hydrogen atoms attract the oxygen atoms from other
water molecules, creating temporary hydrogen bonds within the water.

Each water molecule experiences a pull from other water molecules from every
direction, but water molecules at the surface do not have molecules above the
surface to pull at them. These water molecules have more pull from the water below
than the surface above. This difference in force packs the water molecules at the
surface closer together than they are inside the liquid. The thin, dense layer of
molecules produces the phenomenon called surface tension.
Detergent and Soap

Detergent and soap are similar chemically, except for the oil in them. Many soaps
use natural fats while detergents use refined petroleum. Soap and detergent
molecules have two ends which act as a bridge between water molecules and
grease (fat) molecules. This allows the soap or detergent to grab onto the grease
from a dirty dish and use the other end of the detergent molecule to latch on to water
to be washed away.
Detergent and Soap Break Surface Tension

Detergent molecules' two ends make it able to break through the surface tension of
water. The end of the detergent molecule which attaches to fat (grease) repels water
molecules. It is known as hydrophobic, meaning "water fearing." By attempting to
move away from the water molecules, the hydrophobic ends of the detergent
molecules push up to the surface. This weakens the hydrogen bonds holding the
water molecules together at the surface. The result is a break in the surface tension
of the water.

https://sciencing.com/detergent-break-surface-tension-5452223.html