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Chapter 11: Problem 113

A small drop of oil in water assumes a spherical shape. Explain. (Hint: Oil is made up of nonpolar molecules, which tend to avoid contact with water.)

Short Answer

Expert verified
Oil is made up of nonpolar molecules that avoid contact with water. Owing to surface tension, which demands the least surface area possible, a small drop of oil in water forms a sphere, as the sphere is the shape with minimal surface area for a given volume.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Structure of Oil

Firstly, understanding the structure of oil is important. Oil is made up of nonpolar molecules. A nonpolar molecule is a molecule that shares electrons equally and does not have oppositely charged ends. Therefore, because of this nature, these nonpolar molecules tend to avoid contact with water, which is a polar molecule, with distinctively positive and negative charged ends.
02

Surface Tension

Secondly, let's understand the concept of surface tension. It is an important property that significantly impacts the interaction of water and oil. Surface tension is the elastic tendency of liquids which makes it acquire the least surface area possible. This happens because the liquid’s surface acts like a stretched elastic sheet.
03

Formation of Spherical Shape

Combining both concepts, a drop of oil in water tends to minimize its surface area to achieve the smallest possible contact with water, due to its nonpolar nature. The shape with the least surface area for a given volume is a sphere. Therefore, a small drop of oil in water assumes a spherical shape.

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