Name: Erika R Date:

Student Exploration: Sticky Molecules

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.

Vocabulary: adhesion, capillary action, capillary tube, cohesion, hydrogen bond, intermolecular force,
molecule, newton, nonpolar, partial negative charge, partial positive charge, polar,
surface tension, tensiometer

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. James adds some magnetic marbles to a glass jar full of ordinary marbles, and then
shakes up the jar.

What do you think will happen to the magnetic marbles?

I think the magnets will attract each other even if the jar is being shaken up.
Meanwhile, the ordinary marbles remain neutral.

2. James then dumps the marbles on a steel cookie sheet and tilts it.
Which type of marble will roll off more easily?

I think ordinary marbles will roll off the sheet more easily because they have no
magnetic forces shopping them from rolling them the sheet. The magnetic marbles
create more friction than the ordinary marbles.

Gizmo Warm-up
Just as some marbles are attracted to one another while others are not, certain
molecules stick together more than others. In the Sticky Molecules Gizmo, you will
discover what causes this “stickiness.” You will investigate a variety of phenomena
that result from the attraction of molecules to one another.

To begin, drag a dropper bottle of Water and a Petri dish (labeled Polarity) to the simulation area. Drag the
dropper over the dish to add water. Examine the molecules.

1. What do you notice about the water molecules?

I notice that the hydrogen atoms are attracted to oxygen atoms as they are being pulled
towards each other.

Different areas of the water molecules are electrically charged. The red portions of the molecules are
negatively charged, while the blue regions are positive. Purple is neutral.

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2. Note the yellow lines which show attractions between the molecules. Why do you think these attractions
occur?

The yellow lines represent the intermolecular forces that occur between the molecules.
These forces are what causes the attraction between the molecules.

Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:

Polarity ● Check that the Petri dish contains water.

Introduction: All molecules are neutral overall. However, the charges within molecules are not always
arranged in the same way. In a polar molecule the positive and negative charges are separated into distinct
regions. In a nonpolar molecule the charges are evenly dispersed.

Question: Are polar or nonpolar molecules more “sticky?”

1. Classify: Based on what you observe, are water molecules polar or nonpolar?

I saw that the water molecules were polar. The Hydrogen atoms
have a positive charge and the oxygen atoms have a negative
charge which attracts each other.

Indicate your choice in the data table using the drop-down menu.

The presence of charged regions indicates a polar molecule. However,

these charged regions do not represent full charges as found in
compounds such as sodium chloride. Instead they are partial positive
(δ+) and partial negative (δ–) charges, which are much weaker than full
charges.

2. Hypothesize: Note the yellow lines that form between molecules, which represent hydrogen bonds. A
hydrogen bond (H-bond) is an example of an intermolecular force (IMF). IMFs occur between all
molecules, but hydrogen bonds are the strongest.

A. What causes these H-bonds to form? (Hint: Look at the charged regions.)

Hydrogen atoms that are mixed with electronegative atoms like Nitrogen, Fluorine
and Oxygen create Hydrogen bonds.

B. Why do you think the H-bonds only last a short time before breaking and reforming?

I think H bonds do this because they are too weak and have to continuously reform,
the bonds break due to the heat from the motion between many water molecules.

3. Explore: Replace water with hexane (an ingredient in paint thinner). Examine the molecules.

A. Do you see any charged regions? No Do any H-bonds form? No

B, Is hexane polar or nonpolar? Nonpolar Indicate this in the data table.

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 C. Observe and classify the other two liquids. Which one is polar? Glycerin

Which one is nonpolar? Mineral Oil Indicate this in the data table.

4. Summarize: Molecules that are attracted to one another can be called “sticky.”

Which types of molecules, polar or nonpolar, are the “stickiest”? Polar bonds

What causes this stickiness? Hydrogen bonds (Cohesion)

Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:

Cohesion and ● Drag the Drop diameter tool (a piece of wax
adhesion paper) to the simulation area.

Introduction: When molecules of the same substance stick together, cohesion occurs. When molecules of
different substances stick together, such as a drop of liquid to a solid surface, adhesion is taking place. Both
cohesion and adhesion occur due to intermolecular forces of attraction. Cohesive forces tend to be stronger
than adhesive forces.

Question: How can the strength of cohesive and adhesive forces be determined?

1. Predict: All drops do not look the same—some are rounded while others are flatter.

A. Do you expect polar or nonpolar liquids to form the roundest drops?

I think the polar liquids will form more rounder drops while nonpolar will form more
misshapen drops.

B. Explain your reasoning.

I think the polar liquid will form the roundest drops because of the intermolecular
attraction that makes the molecules stick together more and keep the droplets shape
more than what a nonpolar liquid can do.

2. Measure: Drag the dropper bottle of water to the simulation area. Add a drop of water to the wax paper.
The drop holds together and assumes its shape due to cohesive forces.

A. Describe the shape of the water drop. round

B. Use the ruler to measure the diameter of the drop. What is its diameter? 6mm

Enter this measurement in the data table.

3. Analyze: Measure the drop diameter for each of the other substances.

A. Enter these values in the data table and then record below:

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 Hexane 19mm Glycerin 5mm Mineral oil 8mm

B. Was the prediction you made in 1A confirmed? Yes, my prediction was correct.

C. How do the drops of polar liquids differ from those of nonpolar liquids?

Polar liquids have rounder drops that are small in diameter while nonpolar liquids have
a larger diameter and much flatter drops.

D. How do intermolecular forces affect the shape of a drop?

Intermolecular forces affect the shape of a drop because they attract the molecules
and keep them close together resulting in the rounder droplet shape.

4. Predict: Drag the Tilt angle tool to the simulation area. Adhesive forces can be measured using this
instrument, which can be tilted to form an inclined plane. The greater the adhesion, the greater the
angle at which it can be tilted before the drop begins to slide.

Which substances do you think will experience the greatest adhesive force? Why?

I think water will exhibit the greatest adhesive because it has hydrogen bonds, which
are the strongest of the intermolecular forces. Meaning, they can create a strong bond
to other substances which results in needing a bigger tilt angle to drag the molecules
down.

5. Investigate: Drag the dropper bottle of water to the simulation area. Add a drop to the tilt angle instrument.
Using the slider, gradually increase the incline until the drop starts moving.

A. At what angle does the drop begin to slide? 18 degrees Enter this value in the table.

B. Repeat the above procedure with the other substances. Enter the angle at which each droP
begins to slide in the data table, and then record below:

Hexane 11 degrees Glycerin 12 degrees Mineral oil 10 degrees

C. As the angle increases, do polar or nonpolar molecules tend to slide first?

6. Explain: To understand adhesion, consider the charges on the surface of the

inclined plane. Since it is nonpolar, the positive and negative charges are evenly
distributed, as shown to the right. The negative charges (electrons) can freely
move, while positive charges (protons) tend to be fixed in place.

A. If the positive end of a water molecule were to encounter the surface shown above, what might
happen to the surface’s negative charges? Explain your reasoning.

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 If the positive end of a water molecule were to encounter the surface shown above, the
surfaces’s negative electrons will be attracted to the water molecule thus making the
droplet attach to the surface

B. On the image at bottom right, draw in the charges after a water molecule contacts the surface.

C. How does this explain why polar molecules have better adhesion than
nonpolar molecules?

This explains that polar molecules have better adhesion because they
have a more stable form than nonpolar molecules which need an inert
state to remain on the surface.

Activity C:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Surface tension
● Drag the Surface tension tool (a tensiometer) to
and capillary
the simulation area.
action

Introduction: Cohesion and adhesion give rise to a variety of phenomena. Surface tension represents the
force exerted by the surface of a liquid. Capillary action occurs when a liquid creeps up the sides of a thin
tube, in apparent defiance of gravity.

Question: How do intermolecular forces create surface tension and capillary action?

1. Predict: A tensiometer contains a ring immersed in a liquid. A sensor connected to the lever registers the
force needed to lift the ring out of the fluid. The greater the surface tension of the liquid, the greater the
force required to lift the ring out of the fluid.

In which substances would you expect to see greater surface tension? Why?

I think water will have the greater surface tension because they have strong H-bonds
that keep the molecules together to hold their form.

2. Experiment: Drag the dropper bottle of water to the simulation area. Add some water to the dish. Pull down
on the lever until the ring breaks free from the surface of the water. Note that the force is measured in units
of millinewtons (mN). 1 mN = 1/1000 of a newton (N).

A. How much force was required? 24 mN Enter the measurement in the data table.

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 B. Repeat this procedure with the other liquids. Enter the force required to break the surface
tension in the data table, and then record below:

Hexane 16 mN Glycerin 36mN Mineral oil 19 mN

C. Do polar or nonpolar liquids have greater surface tension? polar liquids

D. Explain how polarity affects surface tension.

Polarity affects surface tension because the more polarity a liquid has the greater
surface tension it has. If the attraction is stronger (like water molecules) it would
attract each other and stick together through dipole dipole.

3. Compare: Examine the measurements for drop diameter in the data table. What is the relationship between
surface tension and drop diameter?

The relationship between the surface tension and the drop diameter shows the
attraction of the molecules and how they stick together. Surface tension decreases with
droplet size.

Surface tension is responsible for a drop’s rounded shape, with cohesive forces holding its
molecules together. The interior molecules are pulled equally in all directions, but those on the
surface are only pulled inward. As a result, the drop shrinks to the shape with the smallest
possible surface area, which is a sphere.

4. Investigate: Drag the Capillary rise tool (a capillary tube) to the simulation area. Fluids have a tendency
to rise up into these thin glass tubes due to capillary action.

A. Which liquids do you think will rise the highest? Polar Liquids

B. Drag the dropper bottle of water to the simulation area and add water to the dish. Make sure the
tube diameter is set to 1 mm. Measure the height of the water.

How high did it rise? 22mm Enter this measurement in the data table.

C. Repeat this procedure with the other liquids. Enter the capillary rise in the data table, and then
record below:
Hexane 11mm Glycerin 18mm Mineral oil 14mm

D. What patterns do you see?

I see the pattern of polar liquids rising higher than nonpolar liquids.

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 Capillary action depends on the balance between cohesion and adhesion. In order for a liquid to
rise up a tube, the force of adhesion between the liquid molecules and the sides of the tube must be
stronger than the cohesive forces within the liquid.

5. Explore: Select Water. Use the Tube diameter slider to adjust the width of the tube.

A. How do you think the width of the tube might affect how high the fluid rises?

The width of the tube can affect how high the fluid rises because the tube has a
smaller diameter which makes it have a bigger surface area in the tube which
allows capillary action to pull water up then tubes that have a larger diameter

B. Adjust the width of the tube. Why do you think width affects capillary rise?

The wider width of the tube makes a close knit force between the water
molecules will keep the water from rising on the sides of the tube.

6. Summarize: Use the arrows beneath the data table to adjust the columns so the polar substances are
grouped together and the nonpolar substances are grouped together.

A. What do the polar substances have in common?

Polar substances have strong intermolecular forces that help them stick together and
have a high surface tension and rise more when capillary action takes place. Their
droplets are also more round/oval and smaller than nonpolar liquids.

B. What do the nonpolar substances have in common?

Nonpolar substances have a lower surface tension because they don’t have any dipole
dipole forces that help them stick together and make surface tension. They have more
of a flatter and larger droplet when compared to polar liquids. Also, when capillary
action is present, they will rise less than polar substances.

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