BI236 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Heat Capacity, Surface Tension
Document Summary
Imbalance of forces at the surface so there will be a net attractive force towards the bulk. The air/water interface will spontaneously minimise its area and contract. Common units for surface tension = mn/m. Any factor, which decreases the strength of this interaction, will lower surface tension. Water absorbs heat from warmer air and releases it to cooler air. Can absorb large amounts with only a slight change to its own temperature. The specific heat of a substance is the mount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for 1g of that substance to change its temperature by 1 degree. Heat is absorbed when hydrogen bonds break. Heat is absorbed when hydrogen bonds form. Heat of vaporisation is the heat a liquid must absorb for 1g to be converted into gas. As a liquid evaporates, its remaining surface cools = helps stabilise temperature in organisms. Insulation of bodies of water by floating ice.
