How does the addition of salt to water affect its surface tension?

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Question: How does the addition of salt to water affect its surface tension?

Options:

Correct Answer: Increases surface tension

Solution:

The addition of salt to water can increase the surface tension due to the ionic interactions that enhance the cohesive forces among water molecules.

How does the addition of salt to water affect its surface tension?

How does the addition of salt to water affect its surface tension?

Step 1: Understand what surface tension is. Surface tension is the property of a liquid that makes its surface behave like a stretched elastic sheet.
Step 2: Know that water molecules are attracted to each other. This attraction is called cohesion, and it helps create surface tension.
Step 3: Learn that when salt (sodium chloride) is added to water, it breaks into positive and negative ions.
Step 4: Recognize that these ions interact with water molecules. The positive ions attract the negative parts of water molecules, and the negative ions attract the positive parts.
Step 5: Understand that these interactions increase the attraction between water molecules, enhancing cohesion.
Step 6: Conclude that because the cohesive forces among water molecules are stronger with salt, the surface tension of the water increases.

Surface Tension – The property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force, due to cohesive forces between liquid molecules.
Ionic Interactions – The interactions between charged ions that can influence the physical properties of a solution, such as surface tension.
Cohesive Forces – The attractive forces between molecules of the same substance, which play a key role in determining surface tension.