Name: Date: February 5, 2021

Student Exploration: Sticky Molecules

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 magnetic

marbles will stick together.

The ordinary marbles will roll off more easily.

2. James then dumps the marbles on a steel cookie sheet and tilts it.

Which type of marble will roll off more easily?

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.
The water molecules attract each other.
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?

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?

Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:

Polarity  Check that the Petri dish contains water. Polar

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?

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.
The electron oxygen atom is not shared evenly between the hydrogen atoms.

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

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

No No

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

3. Explore: Replace water with hexane (an ingredient in paint thinner). Examine the molecules.
They attract because they have opposites charges.
A. Do you see any charged regions? Do any H-bonds form?

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

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

Which one is nonpolar? 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”?

What causes this stickiness?

polar
Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:
Cohesion and  DragThe
the polar
Dropliquids have
diameter charged
tool regions
(a piece that form hydrogen bonds
of wax
adhesion paper) to the simulation area.
that stick together causing polar liquids to be more rounded.
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.
The water drop is flat.
Question: How can the strength of cohesive and adhesive forces be determined?
6mm
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?

B. Explain your reasoning.

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.
Glycerin
A. Describe the shape of the water drop.
Mineral oil

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

Polar
Enter this measurement in the data table.
The charged of each one.

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

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

Hexane Glycerin Mineral oil

B. Was the prediction you made in 1A confirmed?

TheC.polar
Howmolecules will of
do the drops have a greater
polar liquidsadhesive force
differ from because
those it takesliquids?
of nonpolar a higher angle.

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

18

9 12 8
(Activity B continued on next page)
Activity B (continued from previous page) Nonpolar
. Predict: Drag the Tilt angle tool to the simulation area. Adhesive forces can be measured
slide first.
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?

19mm 5mm 8mm

No
5. Investigate: Drag the dropper bottle of water to the simulation area. Add a drop to the tilt
Nonpolar drops
angle instrument. Using the slider, gradually increase the incline until the drop starts moving.
arewhat
A. At bigger thandoes
angle the polar liquids
the drop because
begin nonpolar drop have
to slide? Enterlower intermolecular
this value forces
in the table.
of attraction.
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:
Liquids with stronger intermolecular
Hexane Glycerin Mineral oil
forces tend to have higher surface tension than those with weak intermolecular forces.
C. As the angle increases, do polar or nonpolar molecules tend to slide first?

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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.

Polar

Because are stronger, so they stick easier on a 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?

Activity C:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Surface tension
 Drag the Surface tension tool (a tensiometer) to
and capillary
the simulation area.
action The water molecule will adhere to the surface because of the attraction between

Introduction: Cohesion
opposite and adhesion give rise to a variety of phenomena. Surface tension
charges.
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
It explains thatthe force
polar requiredhave
molecules to lifta the ringforce
better out of the fluid.
holding

In whichit substances would

on the surface thanyou expectmolecules.
nonpolar to see greater surface tension? Why?

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2. Experiment: Drag the dropper bottle of water to the simulation area. Add some water to the
Polar liquids
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? Enter the measurement in the data table.
22mm
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 Glycerin Mineral oil

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

D. Explain how polarity affects surface tension.

3. Compare: Examine the measurements for33mN drop diameter in the data table. What is the
relationship between surface tension and drop diameter?

13mN 35mN 17mN

Surface tension is responsible for a drop’s rounded shape, with
cohesive forces holding its molecules together. The interior Polar liquids
molecules are pulled equally in all directions, but those on the
The high
surface are only pulled inward. As a result, the drop shrinks toattraction
the forces polar liquids
shape with the smallest possible surface area, which is a sphere.
to stick to the surface.
(Activity C continued on next page)
Activity C (continued from previous page)

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.
They both show how the molecules stick together.
A. Which liquids do you think will rise the highest?

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? Enter this measurement in the data table.

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 C. Repeat this procedure with the other liquids. Enter the capillary rise in the data table,
and then record below:

Hexane Glycerin Mineral oil

D. What patterns do you see?

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.
11 mm 18mm 14mm
5. Explore: Select Water. Use the TubePolar
diameter
liquidsslider to adjust
rise higher thenonpolar
than width of liquids.
the tube.

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

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

It will be hard for the molecules to stick to the surface.

6. Summarize: Use the arrows beneath the data table to adjust the columns so the polar
Because
substances there is together
are grouped less surface
andfor
thethe molecules
nonpolar to stick. are grouped together.
substances

A. What do the polar substances have in common?

They stick easier to surface because

B. What do the nonpolar substances have in common?

they have higher intermolecular forces.

They have lower intermolecular

forces of attraction and its harder for them to stick in surfaces.

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