ABSTRACT

It is common observation that a liquid takes the shape of a container that surrounds or contains it. However, it is also found that, in many cases, there are other subtle properties that arise at the interface of liquids. The most common behavior is bubble and foam formation. Another phenomena is that, when a glass capillary tube is dipped in water, the fluid rises to a given height. It is observed that the narrower the tube, the higher the water rises. The role of liquids and liquid surfaces is important in many everyday natural processes (e.g., oceans, lakes, rivers, raindrops, etc.). Therefore, in these systems, one will expect the surface forces to be important, considering that the oceans cover some 75% of the surface of the earth. Accordingly, there is a need to study surface tension and its effect on surface phenomena in these different systems. This means that the structures of molecules in the bulk phase need to be considered in comparison to those at the surface.