Question

You can fit 25 drops of substance X on a penny and 12 drops of substance Y on a different penny. Explain the difference in terms of strength of IMF.

Answer 1

Answer:

In the experiment performed involving the number of liquid drops that a penny can hold, 25 drops of substance X can fit in a penny while only 12 drops of substance Y can fit on another penny because, substance X is more viscous than substance Y. Thus, the intermolecular forces present in substance X are stronger than those present in substance Y.

Explanation:

Intermolecular forces (IMF) are the forces which exist between the neighboring molecules of a a substance. These forces, though weaker than intramolecular forces which acts between neighboring atoms, they still are responsible for several differences in the physical properties of substances with comparatively similar molecular masses.

The three major types of intermolecular forces are, hydrogen bonding, dipole–dipole interactions and  London dispersion forces.

The existence of intermolecular forces in molecules of substances results in increase in melting and boiling points, surface tension,  capillary action, viscosity, as well as surface area of substances,

Viscosity, which is the resistance to flow offered by a liquid increases with increase in the intermolecular forces between the molecules of a liquid.

In the experiment performed involving the number of liquid drops that a penny can hold, 25 drops of substance X can fit in a penny while only 12 drops of substance Y can fit on another penny because, substance X is more viscous than substance Y. Thus, the intermolecular forces present in substance X are stronger than those present in substance Y.