Lesson 1.3 

Properties of Liquids 
 
Contents 

Introduction 1 

Learning Objectives 2 

Warm Up 2 

Learn about It! 3 

States of Matter 3 
Solids 3 
Liquids 3 
Gases 4 
Properties of Liquids 5 
Surface Tension 5 
Cohesion, Adhesion, and Capillary Action 7 
Viscosity 8 
Enthalpy of Vaporization 8 
Vapor Pressure 9 
Solubility 10 
Boiling Point 12 

Key Points 13 

Check Your Understanding 14 

Challenge Yourself 16 

Bibliography 16 
 
   

 
  
Unit 1: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction and Solids and Liquids 
 

Lesson 1.3 

Properties of Liquids 
 

 
 

  Introduction 
Have  you  ever  observed  small  insects  walking  on  the  surface  of  the  water?  These  insects 
can  walk because of the thin film of water molecules on the surface. The thin film is a result 
of  the  attractive  forces  between  each  water  droplet.  In  nature,  there  are  attractive  and 
repulsive  forces.  Some  of  these  attractive  forces  also  exist  among  very  small  particles  of 
matter.  In  the  previous  lesson,  you  have  described  the  different  types  of  intermolecular 
forces  of  attraction  present  between  molecules  and  learned  how  to  predict  the 
intermolecular  forces  between  specific  molecules.  In  this  lesson,  you  will  discuss  the 
different  properties  of  liquids  and  the  importance  of  each  property  that  affect  the  things 
around us. 

 
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Unit 1: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction and Solids and Liquids 
 
 
 

Learning Objectives  DepEd Competency 

 

In this lesson, you should be able to do the  Describe the following properties of 
liquids, and explain the effect of 
following: 
intermolecular forces on these 
● Describe the properties of liquids.  properties: surface tension, 
● Explain  the  effect  of  the  viscosity, vapor pressure, boiling 

intermolecular  forces  of  attraction  on  point, and heat of vaporization 

(STEM_GC11IMF-IIIa-c-102).   
the properties of liquids. 
 

  Warm Up       
  Tricky Water    25 minutes 
 

Have  you  ever  seen  a  magic show? Do you believe that it was magic? This simple activity will 

introduce you to a magic trick that—believe it or not—is pure science! 
 

Materials 
● clean, transparent glass jar 
● mosquito net 
● rubber band 
● clean water 
● laminated paper/cardboard 

 
Procedure 
1. Cover  the  jar  with  mosquito  net  and  use  a  rubber  band  to  keep  the  net  in  place. Fill 
3/4 of the jar with water. 
2. Place the laminated paper/cardboard on top of the jar and press it firmly, then invert 
the jar.  
3. Remove  your  hand  from  the  laminated  paper/cardboard,  holding  only  the  inverted 
jar. Observe. 

 
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4. Remove the laminated paper/cardboard from the inverted jar. Observe. 
 
Guide Questions 
1. What happened when you removed your hand from the laminated paper?  
2. What happened when you removed the laminated paper/cardboard from the 
inverted jar?   
3. Provide an explanation of the observations you have tabulated in items 1 and 2. 
 

  Learn about It! 

States of Matter 
Everything  that  takes  up  space  and  has  mass  is  matter.  All  matter  is  composed  of  atoms, 
which  are  in  turn  made  up  of  protons,  neutrons,  and  electrons.  Matter  can  be  described in 
terms of its physical state.  
 

What are the different states of matter? 

 

  
Solids 
A  solid  is  characterized  by  having  particles  that  are  packed  tightly  together,  so  they  do  not 
move  much.  Solids  have a definite shape and occupy an exact volume. They do not conform 
to the shape of the container in which they are placed.  
 
Liquids 
The  particles  in a liquid are slightly further apart than solids, which allow it to take the shape 
of  its  container.  The  arrangement  of  particles  allows  liquids  to  be  compressed  more easily 
than  solids.  Liquids  are  similar  to  solids  in  such  a  way  that  their  volumes  do  not  change 
significantly with varying temperatures and pressure. 

 
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solid liquid gas  
Fig. 1.3.1. Microscopic view of solid, liquid, and gas particles. 
 
Gases 
In  a  gas,  the  particles  have  a  great  deal  of  space  between  them  and  have  high  kinetic 
energy.  They  occupy  the  same  shape  as  its  container  but  do  not  have  an  exact  volume. 
Unlike solids and liquids, gases have volumes that depend on temperature and pressure. 
 

 
Fig. 1.3.2. The strength of IMFA increases from gas to liquid to solid. 

 
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The  strength  of  IMFAs  present  in  a  substance  reflects  its  overall  phase.  Molecules  held 
together  by  strong  IMFAs  are  usually solid at room temperature, while those molecules that 
are  held  by  weaker  IMFAs  are  usually  liquid  or  gas.  For  instance,  consider  the  halogens  in 
Fig.  1.3.2.  Cl2,  Br2,  and  I2  are  nonpolar  molecules,  and  their  molecules  are  held  together  by 
London  dispersion  forces  (LDFs).  Since  LDFs  increase  with  molecular  weight,  the  molecules 
of  I2  are held by the strongest IMFA compared to Br2 and Cl2. As a consequence, I2 exists as a 
solid, Br2 exists as a liquid, and Cl2 exists as a gas at room temperature. 
 
Properties of Liquids 
Liquids  have  some  similar  properties  with  solids  and gases. High densities and the ability to 
resist  compression  are  some  of  these  properties,  to  name  a  few.  These  properties  can  be 
attributed  to  the  intermolecular  forces  of  attraction  that  hold  the  molecules  together  in 
order  to  occupy  a  volume  of  a  certain  space  of  a  container.  These  intermolecular  forces  of 
attraction  are  directly  related  to the surface tension, viscosity, and vapor pressure of the 
liquid. 
 

What are the different properties of liquids? 

 

 
Surface Tension 
Surface  tension  is  the  tendency  of  a  fluid  to  acquire  the  least  possible  surface  area. 
Imagine  a  small  drop  of  any  liquid.  It  is  assumed  that  a  drop  is  spherical  in  shape.  This  is 
because of the intermolecular forces of attraction present in the molecules of liquids. 
 
In  Fig.  1.3.3,  the  arrows  represent  the  attractions  for  the  inner  molecules  as  well  as  the 
molecules  on  the  surface  of  the  droplet.  An  inner  molecule  is  attracted  to  its  neighboring 
molecules  in  all  directions.  On  the  other  hand,  the  surface  molecule  has  no  neighboring 
molecules  above  it,  and  a  net  force attracts the surface molecule towards the interior of the 
fluid.  This  causes  unbalanced  forces  on  the  surface  molecules,  causing  the  fluid  to create a 
shape with the smallest surface area for a fixed volume, that is, of a sphere. 

 
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Fig. 1.3.3. Water droplets exhibiting surface tension 
 
Since  surface  molecules  can  accommodate  an  extra  force  going  downwards,  small  objects 
or  insects  can  be  placed  or walk on top of these water molecules. The surface molecules act 
as  a  thin  film  that  can  accommodate  small  forces.  This  allows  water  striders  to  walk  on 
water, or needles to be placed horizontally on a bowl of water without sinking. 
 

 
Fig. 1.3.4. Water striders can walk on water because of surface tension. 
 

 
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Cohesion, Adhesion, and Capillary Action 
Another  implication  of  surface  tension  is  capillary  action,  a  phenomenon  in  which  liquids 
rise  spontaneously  in  a  capillary  tube.  Two  types  of  forces  are  needed  to  be  considered  in 
explaining  capillary  action:  cohesion  and  adhesion.  Cohesion  is  the  attraction  between  like 
molecules,  while adhesion is the attraction between unlike molecules. The balance between 
cohesive  and  adhesive  forces  result  in  properties  such  as  capillary  rise  or  fall  and  concave 
and convex meniscus. 
 

 
Fig. 1.3.5. Cohesive and adhesive forces in capillary action 

 
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Viscosity 
Viscosity  is  the  measure  of  a  fluid’s  resistance  to  flow.  Liquids  that  flow  easily  have  low 
viscosity,  while  liquids  that  do  not  flow  readily  have  high  viscosity.  Imagine you are pouring 
two  types  of  liquids. One is cough syrup, and the other one is plain tap water. You can easily 
observe the difference in their viscosities when poured. 
 
Molecules  with  stronger  intermolecular  forces  have  greater  resistance  to  flow  because  it  is 
difficult  for  the  molecules  to  move  and  slide  past  one  another.  Thus,  they  have  higher 
viscosity compared to those with weaker IMFA. 
 
Viscosity  is  also  affected by temperature. When the temperature is high, the molecules have 
more energy, and it becomes easier to overcome the IMFA. This leads to lower viscosity.  
 

Remember 
For  liquids,  viscosity  decreases  with  increasing  temperature, but for 
gases, the viscosity increases with increasing temperature. 

Why do water droplets that condense from fog 

  appear spherical? 
 
Enthalpy of Vaporization 
Vaporization is the process where a fraction of the kinetic energy of a liquid escapes from 
the surface to enter the vapor phase. The enthalpy of vaporization (∆Hvap), also called the 
heat of vaporization, is the heat required to induce this phase change. 
This phenomenon occurs more readily with: 
● increased temperature as more molecules have sufficient kinetic energy to 
overcome intermolecular forces of attraction in the liquid. 
● increased surface area of the liquid since a greater proportion of the liquid 
molecules are at the surface. 

 
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● decreased strength of intermolecular forces as the kinetic energy needed to 
overcome intermolecular forces of attraction is less, and more molecules have 
enough energy to escape. 
 

 
Fig. 1.3.6. The equilibrium nature of vaporization in a closed container. At first (a), only 
evaporation occurs. After some time (b), condensation occurs as more vapor molecules are 
produced through vaporization. At equilibrium (c), evaporation and condensation happen 
simultaneously at equal rates. 
 
Since  the  enthalpy  of  vaporization  is  the  quantity  of  heat that must be absorbed if a certain 
quantity of liquid is vaporized at a constant temperature, ∆Hvap is always greater than zero. 
 
Vapor Pressure 
Vapor  pressure  is  the  pressure  exerted  by  a  vapor  in  equilibrium  with  its  liquid  phase in a 
closed  system.  Molecules  with  stronger  intermolecular  forces  have  less  tendency to escape 
into gas, and thus, have lower vapor pressure compared to those with weaker IMFA. 
 
Hydrogen  bonding,  which  is  a  strong  type  of  IMFA,  explains  why  some  substances  have  a 
low  vapor  pressure.  A  lot  of  energy  must  be  expended  to  break  hydrogen bonds, and thus, 
break  large  clusters  of  bonded  molecules.  Let  us  look at the example of water and acetone. 
Water,  which  exhibits  hydrogen  bonding,  has  lower  vapor  pressure  compared  to  acetone, 
CH3COCH3.  Since  more  energy  is  needed  to  disrupt  the  IMFA in water to convert it to vapor, 
its  boiling  point  will  also  be  higher  than  acetone.  In  fact,  the  boiling point of acetone is only 
56 °C, while water boils at 100 °C. 
 
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Fig. 1.3.7. Structures of water and acetone and their predominant IMFA. 
 
Solubility 
Solubility  refers  to  the  ability  of  a  substance  to  dissolve  in  a  given  amount  of  solvent  at  a 
specified  temperature.  Recall  the  rule  “like  dissolves  like.”  When  the  solute  and  the  solvent 
both exhibit the same intermolecular forces of attraction, they form a solution. 
 
Let  us  look  at  the  example  of  water  and  ethanol.  They  are  polar  substances.  They  both 
exhibit  LDF,  dipole-dipole  forces,  and  hydrogen bonding. When mixed together, they form a 
solution. If two liquids dissolve or mix together, they are called miscible liquids. 
 

 
Fig. 1.3.8. Water and ethanol form a solution. 

 
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Let  us  look  at  another  example,  mixing  hexane  and  water.  Compared  to  the  first  example, 
hexane  and water do not have similar IMFA. The only attractive forces present in hexane are 
the  relatively  weak  London  dispersion  forces.  These  forces  cannot  significantly  disrupt  the 
strong  hydrogen  bonding  among  water  molecules.  Therefore,  hexane  and  water  form  a 
heterogeneous  mixture.  If  two  liquids  do  not  dissolve  or  mix  together,  they  are  called 
immiscible liquids.  
 
Substances  or  molecules  that  form  interactions  with  water  are  also  described  as 
hydrophilic.  Dipole-dipole  forces  and  hydrogen  bonding  are  the  primary  IMFA  in 
hydrophilic  substances.  In  contrast,  substances  or  molecules that repel water are described 
as  hydrophobic.  London  dispersion  forces are the primary IMFA in these substances. Some 
large  molecules  can  have  both  hydrophilic  and  hydrophobic  regions.  Soaps  and detergents 
are  examples  of  these  kinds  of  molecules.  These  types  of  molecules  are  known  as 
amphipathic  molecules.  Soap  and  detergent  molecules  have  hydrophilic  heads  and 
hydrophobic  tails.  The  hydrophilic  head  interacts  with  the  water  while  the  hydrophobic  tail 
interacts  with  the  grease.  They  form an enclosing structure called micelles, which allows the 
soap or detergent to remove stains from clothes. 
 

Remember 
The  stronger  the  intermolecular  forces  between  the  solvent 
molecule and the solute molecule, the greater the solubility.  
 
The  predominant  intermolecular  forces  between  polar  molecules 
are  hydrogen  bonding  and  dipole-dipole.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
predominant  intermolecular  force  between  nonpolar  molecules  is 
London dispersion. 
● Polar molecules are soluble in a polar solvent. 
● Nonpolar molecules are soluble in a nonpolar solvent. 
● Polar  molecules  and  nonpolar  molecules  do  not  mix 
together. 

 
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Boiling Point 
Boiling  point  is  the  temperature  at  which  a  substance  changes  from  liquid  to  gas.  Boiling 
happens  when  the  molecules  of  a  liquid  gain  enough  energy  to  overcome  the 
intermolecular  forces  of  attraction  that  hold  the  molecules  together.  Stronger 
intermolecular  forces  mean  a  greater  amount  of  energy  is  needed  to  break  the  attractive 
forces  between  molecules.  Substances  with  stronger  IMFAs  have  higher  boiling  points 
compared to those with weaker IMFA. 
 
For  example,  water  and  hydrogen  fluoride  are  polar  molecules.  Hydrogen  bonding  is 
present  in  these  molecules,  which  is  a  strong  type  of  IMFA.  As  a  result,  their  boiling  points 
are  higher  than  nonpolar  molecules.  The  boiling  point  of  water  is  also  significantly  higher 
than  similar  binary  compounds  of  hydrogen  and  a  Group  6A  element.  Without  hydrogen 
bonding,  the  predicted  boiling  point  of  water  should  be  less  than  -60  °C.  If  that  were  true, 
water would exist as a gas at room temperature, and life on earth will probably not exist! 
 

 
Structures of water and hydrogen fluoride 
 
Table 1.3.1. Boiling points of compounds of hydrogen and a Group 6A element 

Compound  Boiling Point (°C) 

H2O  100 

H2S  -61 

H2Se  -41 

H2Te  -2.2 

 
 

 
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Shown  in  Fig.  1.3.9  is  a  plot  of  vapor  pressure  (y-axis)  in  atm  versus  temperature (x-axis) in 
ºC  for  diethyl  ether,  water,  and  mercury.  The  temperature  at  which  the  vapor  pressure  is  1 
atm  is  called  the  normal  boiling  point,  or  simply  boiling  point.  Mercury  has  the  highest 
normal  boiling  point  since  the  molecules  are  held  by  strong  metallic  bonds.  Water  has  a 
higher normal boiling point than diethyl ether because of its capability to form H-bonds.  
 

 
Fig. 1.3.9. Vapor pressure versus temperature curve for diethyl ether, water, and mercury   
 

Key Points 
___________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
● Matter  is  anything  that  occupies  space  and  has  mass.  The  states  of  matter  are 
solid, liquid, and gas. 
○ Solid  particles  are  packed  tightly  together,  which  makes  it  difficult  to 
compress. They have a definite shape and occupy exact volume. 
○ Liquid  particles  are  slightly  further  apart  than  solids.  They  occupy  the  same 
shape as its container and still occupy the exact volume. 
○ Gas  particles  are  very  far  apart  from  each  other.  They  occupy  the  same 
shape as its container but do not have an exact volume. 
 

 
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● Surface  tension  is  the  tendency  of  a  fluid  to  acquire the least possible surface area. 
Liquids with strong IMFAs have high surface tension. 
● Viscosity  is  the  measure  of  a fluid’s resistance to flow. Molecules with stronger IMFA 
have  higher  viscosity  compared  to  those  with  weaker  IMFA.  Higher  temperature 
leads to lower viscosity. 
● Enthalpy  of  vaporization  is  the  amount  of  energy  that  must  be  added  to  a  liquid 
substance to transform a quantity of that substance into a gas. 
● Vapor  pressure  is  the  pressure  exerted  by  a  vapor  in  equilibrium  with  its  liquid 
phase  in a closed system. Substances with stronger IMFAs have lower vapor pressure 
compared to those with weaker IMFA. 
● Solubility  refers  to  the  ability of a substance to dissolve in a given amount of solvent 
at  a  specified  temperature.  When  the  solute  and  the  solvent  both  exhibit  the  same 
IMFA, they form a solution. 
○ If two liquids dissolve or mix together, they are called miscible liquids.  
○ If  two  liquids  do  not  dissolve  or  mix  together,  they  are  called  immiscible 
liquids.  
● Boiling  point  is  the  temperature  at  which  a  substance  changes  from  liquid  to  gas. 
Boiling  happens  when  the  molecules of a liquid gain enough energy to overcome the 
intermolecular forces of attraction that hold the molecules together. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 

  Check Your Understanding 

 

A. Identify  the  terms  described  in  each  of  the  following 

 
items. 
 

___________________________ 1.   It  is the term used to refer to the pressure exerted by 

a vapor in equilibrium with a liquid. 

___________________________ 2.  It is a state of matter that occupies the same shape 

as its container and occupies the exact volume. 

 
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___________________________ 3.   This term refers to the ability of a substance to 

dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a specified 
temperature. 

___________________________ 4.   It is a property of liquid that refers to the 

temperature at which a substance changes from 
liquid to gas. 

___________________________ 5.   It is the measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. 

___________________________ 6.   It is the tendency of a liquid to acquire the least 

possible surface area. 

___________________________ 7.   These are molecules or regions in a molecule that 

repel water. 

___________________________ 8.   It is a state of matter that has a definite shape. 

___________________________ 9.   These are composed of large molecules that contain 

both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. 

__________________________ 10.   These are molecules or regions in a molecule that 

are attracted to water. 
 

B. Write  T  if  the  following  statement  is  true.  Otherwise, 

write F. 
 

_______ 1.  If a liquid has strong IMFA hey have low surface tensions  

_______ 2.  For liquids, viscosity decreases with decreasing temperature. 

_______ 3.  Miscible liquids are molecules that mix together. 

_______ 4.  Gas particles are tightly packed that gives them a definite shape. 

_______ 5.  If A has weaker IMFA than B, therefore, the vapor pressure of A is higher 
than B. 

 
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C. Solve the following problems.  

 
Rank  the  compounds  (being  1  the  highest)  based  on  the 
 
properties provided below. 
CH3CH2OCH3, CH3CH2CH2NH2, CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2NH2, 
CH3CH2CH2CH3 

1. viscosity 
2. surface tension  
3. vapor pressure  
4. heat of vaporization 
5. boiling point 
 

  Challenge Yourself 
 

Answer the following questions.    

1. Why  do  surface  tension  and  viscosity  decrease  with  temperature,  whereas  vapor 
pressure  increases  with  temperature?  Note  that  surface  tension,  viscosity,  and 
vapor pressure are all related to intermolecular forces. 
2. Explain how IMFA is related to vapor pressure and boiling point. 
3. Arrange  the  following substances in order of decreasing surface tension and explain 
your answer. 
  CH3CH3 CH4 CH3CH2OH 

  Bibliography 
Brown T.L. et al. 2012. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson Prentice Hall.Brown. 
Chemistry: The Central Science. Prentice-Hall, 2005. 
 
Bettelheim, Frederick A., et al. 2015. Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry. 
Boston: Cengage Learning. 

 
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Unit 1: Intermolecular Forces of Attraction and Solids and Liquids 
 

 
Ebbing, Darrell and Steven Gammon. 2016. General Chemistry. Boston: Cengage Learning. 
 
Moore, John W, and Conrad L. Stanitski. 2015. Chemistry: The Molecular Science, 5th ed. USA: 
Cengage Learning. 
 
Petrucci, Ralph H. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. Toronto, Ont.: 
Pearson Canada, 2011. Print. 
 
Reger, Daniel L., et al. 2009. Chemistry: Principles and Practice. Boston: Cengage Learning. 
 
Silberberg, Martin S. 2007. Principles of General Chemistry. McGraw-Hill Company. 
 
Spencer, James N., et al. 2010. Chemistry: Structure and Dynamics. New Jersey: John Wiley & 
Sons. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
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