Answer to Question #312616 in General Chemistry for Ermus Ken

Question

Is there a difference when the needle or metal clip is placed on the surface of distilled water and on the surface distilled water with dilute amounts of liquid detergent? Explain your observations in terms of the strength of IMFA present in each condition.

Answer 1

A  metal needle or paper clip has higher density that that of water. So when it is dropped into water, it falls down into the bottom of water. However, if we put it horizontally on the water with a lot of caution, it can float almost forever due to the surface tension of water.When soap is added to the water, the needle will be driven to sink by the disruption of the water's surface tension.