Section 1.

3: Intermolecular Forces and Properties of Liquids

Intermolecular Forces and Properties of Liquids

 Liquids do not have a simple or regular structure, but many of their properties
can be explained qualitatively by viewing them at the particulate level.

General Properties of a Liquid

1. Surface Tension
2. Capillary Action
3. Viscosity
4. Vapor Pressure
5. Boiling Point
6. Heat of Vaporization

1. Surface Tension
 It is the measure of the elastic force in the surface of a liquid.
 It is the amount of energy required to stretch or increase the surface of a liquid
by a unit area.
 It is manifested as some sort of skin on the surface of a liquid or in a drop of
liquid.
 Surface tension allows needles and paper clips to float in water if placed
carefully on the surface. It also explains why drop of water are spherical in
shaped.
 These intermolecular forces tend to pull the molecules into the liquid and cause
the surface to tighten like an elastic film or “skin”.
 Molecules within a liquid are pulled in all directions by intermolecular forces.
 Molecules at the surface are pulled downward and sideways by other
molecules, not upward away from the surface

2. Capillary Action
 Capillary action is the tendency of a liquid to rise in narrow tubes or be drawn
into small openings such as those between grains of a rock.
 Capillary action, also known as capillarity, is a result of intermolecular attraction
between the liquid and solid materials.
 Capillary action is shown by water rising spontaneously in capillary tubes. A thin
film of water adheres to the wall of the glass tube as water molecules are
attracted to atoms making up the glass.
Two types of forces are involved in capillary action:
 Cohesion is the intermolecular attraction between like molecules (the liquid
molecules).
 Adhesion is an attraction between unlike molecules (such as those in water
and in the particles that make up the glass tube).
 These forces also define the shape of the surface of a liquid in a cylindrical
container (the meniscus!)
  When the cohesive forces between the liquid molecules are greater than the
adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, the surface of
the liquid is convex.
 When the cohesive forces between the liquid molecules are lesser than the
adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, the surface of
the liquid is concave.

3. Viscosity
 It is defined as the resistance of a liquid to flow.
 It is loosely referred to as the thickness or thinness of a liquid.
 Syrup and oil flow more slowly than water and are thus described as more
viscous.
 Long-chained substances like oil have greater intermolecular forces because
there are more atoms that can attract one another, contributing to the
substance's total attractive forces.
 Honey, a concentrated solution of sugar, is also highly viscous because of the
hydrogen bonding that forms as a result of the numerous -OH groups of sugar
molecule.

4. Vapor Pressure
 It is the pressure exerted by its vapor when in equilibrium with liquid or solid.
Example:
 When liquid or solid substance is made to evaporate in a closed container, the
gas exerts a pressure above the liquid.
 Substances with relatively strong intermolecular forces will have low vapor
pressure because the particles will have difficulty escaping as a gas.
Example:

1. Water (H₂O), (Hydrogen Bonding) has vapor pressure of 0.03 atm.

2. Ethyl Ether (C4H10O), dipole-dipole & London Force) has vapor pressure at 0.68
atm.

5. Boiling Point
 The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is
equal to the external or atmospheric pressure.
 Increasing the temperature of a liquid raises the kinetic energy of its molecules,
until such point where the energy of the particle movement exceeds the
intermolecular forces that hold them together.
 The liquid molecules then transform to gas and are seen as bubbles that rises to
the surface of the liquids and escape to the atmosphere.
 Then temperature at which a liquid boils under 1 atmospheric pressure (1atm) is
referred to as its normal boiling point.
 At higher altitude, the atmospheric pressure is lower, hence, the boiling point will
subsequently decrease.
 The greater intermolecular force, the higher the energy needed to increase the
kinetic energy of the molecules to break these forces.
6. Heat of Vaporization
  Molar Heat of vaporization (H^vap) is the amount of heat required to vaporize
one mole of substance at its boiling point.
 The application of heat disrupts the intermolecular forces of attraction of the
liquid molecules and allows them to vaporize.
 Boiling point generally increases as molar heat of vaporization increases.
 The H^vap is also determined by the strength of intermolecular forces between
molecules.

Structure and Properties of Water

 At room temperature, pure water is a colorless, odorless and tasteless liquid.
 It turns to ice, its solid form at o° C and 1 atm.
 At 100°C, it become gas, commonly known as steam.

Unique Properties of Water

1. Water is a good solvent.
2. Water has a high specific heat. Specific heat is the amount of heat or energy needed
to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by 1º C.
3. The boiling point of water unusually high.
4. Solid water is less dense, and in fact floats on liquid water.
 Unlike all other liquids, the molecules in solid water are actually farther apart than
they are in liquid water.
 When solid water forms, the hydrogen bonds result in a very open structure with
unoccupied spaces, causing the solid to occupy a larger volume than the liquid.
 This makes ice less dense than liquid water, causing ice to float on water.