Cohesion and Adhesion of
Uploaded by
ScribdTranslationsCohesion and Adhesion of
Uploaded by
ScribdTranslationsCohesion and adhesion of water
Cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension of water and how they relate to the formation of hydrogen bonds.
Google ClassroomFacebookTwitter
Email
The cohesion of water
Have you ever filled a glass of water to the top and then slowly added a few more drops? Before
when it overflows, the water forms a sort of dome above the edge of the glass. This type of dome is formed
thanks to the cohesive properties of water molecules, that is, their tendency to stick to one another.
Cohesion refers to the attraction that molecules have for other molecules of the same type, and the molecules of water.
they have strong cohesive forces due to their ability to form hydrogen bonds among themselves.
Cohesive forces are responsible for surface tension, which is the tendency of the surface of a
liquid to resist breaking when subjected to tension or stress. The water molecules on the surface (in the
interface between water and air) will form hydrogen bonds with their neighbors, just like the molecules that
they are found at greater depth in the liquid. However, as they are exposed to the air on one side,
they will have fewer water molecules to bond with and the bonds formed between them will be stronger. The
surface tension causes water to form small spherical droplets and allows it to support small objects, like a
a piece of paper or a needle, if placed carefully on its surface.
Illustration of surface tension in a water droplet suspended on a spider web. The water molecules in the
the center of the droplet has more neighbors to interact with than those found on the surface. This makes
that the surface molecules form stronger interactions with their neighbors.
Image credit:"Properties of liquids: Figure 2", from OpenStax College(CC BY 4.0).
The adhesion of water
Water tends to stick to itself, but under certain circumstances, it adheres to other types of molecules.
Adhesions are the attraction of molecules of one type by molecules of another type, and for water, it can be quite significant.
strong, especially when the other molecules have positive or negative charges.
For example, adhesion allows water to 'rise' through thin glass tubes (called capillaries)
placed in a glass of water. This upward movement against gravity, known as capillarity,
it depends on the attraction between the water molecules and the glass walls of the tube (adhesion), as well as on the
interactions between water molecules (cohesion).
Water molecules are attracted more strongly to glass than to other water molecules (because the
glass molecules have greater polarity than those of water). You can see this in the image below: the water
it has its highest point where it makes contact with the edges of the tube and the lowest point in the center. The curved surface
formed by a liquid in a cylinder or tube is called a meniscus.
Illustration of water rising through a small tube by means of capillarity. The thin tube is inserted into a
Cup with water and the water climbs up the tube, reaching a height greater than the level of the cup. The water also
extends higher near the sides of the tube and dips in the center. This is because water molecules are
attracted more strongly to the sides of the tube than to other water molecules. The curved surface of the water in the tube.
Capillary is known as meniscus.
Modified image of"Water: Figure 5", OpenStax College, Biology(CC BY 3.0). Modification of the original work by Pearson-Scott Foresman, donated to the
Wikimedia Foundation.
Why are cohesion and adhesion forces important for life? Because they are part of many processes.
water-based biological processes, such as the movement of water to the tops of trees and the drainage of tears
from the tear ducts of your eyes ^11start superscript, 1, end superscript. A simple example of cohesion in action is
the water skater (below), an insect that depends on surface tension to stay afloat over the
surface.
Image of a
insect
skater of water
in the
surface of the
water. This is
possible
thanks to
tension
superficial of
water
Image credit: "Water:
Figure 6, of
OpenStax College
Biology(CC BY 3.0).
Image of Tim
Vickers.
