COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

NAME: DAN CHRISTIAN P. BLANCE YR AND SEC.:BSMLS-2A

Activity 2
Water and Its Properties

I. Surface Tension of Water

Purpose:

The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the property of the surface

tension of water. This will look at the way that water sticks to itself to make a rounded
shape, the way that water behaves as a “skin” at the surface, and a comparison of water’s
surface tension with two other liquids, oil and soapy water.

B. Materials
• 3 pennies
• Available water
• Small containers of water, oil, and soapy water
• A dropper for each of the containers
• A square, about 4” x 4”, of wax paper

C. Procedures :
*Please document your performance of the experiment by taking pictures.
Counting Drops on a Penny
1. Check to make sure all of the materials needed are ready.
2. Using a medicine dropper containing only water, count the number of drops of water
that you can balance on top of a penny. When the water falls off of the penny, record the
number of drops. Wipe the water off of the penny.
3. Repeat this procedure of counting and recording drops with oil and then with the
soapy water.
Comparing the Shape of a Drop
4. Drop a small sample of each of the liquids––water, oil, and soapy water––on the wax
paper. Observe the shape and label the shape of the drops made by each of the liquids.
Wipe off the wax paper.
5. Answer the questions on your worksheet.

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Drops of Water
Fill in the table below with the number of drops you added to the penny of each
substance before the liquid spilled over.
Water Oil Soapy Water
Number of Drops 36 11 8

Questions
1. What does a high surface tension do to the number of liquid molecules
that can stay together?

Based on my experiment, high surface tension on water can keep water molecules
stay together and they cohere more strongly to those directly associated with them. So,
the more drops of water, the more water molecules are compacted.
2. Based on your evidence, compare the surface tension of these four
substances.

In the conducted experiment, I observed that the water had the highest surface
tension and then the oil, and the soapy water had the lowest surface tension.
3. After placing a few drops of each of the liquids on the wax paper, paste a
photo of what the drops look like from the side view. Be sure to capture the
relative height/flatness of the drop

Water Oil Soapy Water

II. Adhesion and Cohesion

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Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the cohesion and adhesion
properties of water.

• Cohesion is the molecular attraction exerted between molecules that are the same,
such as water molecules.
• Adhesion is the molecular attraction exerted between unlike substances in contact.
Cohesion causes water to form drops, surface tension causes them to be nearly
spherical, and adhesion keeps the drops in place
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesion).
This experiment will work with string to see the rate at which water is able to “climb”
up the string. This is very similar to the way that water enters a plant and travels upward
in the small tubes throughout the plant’s body. The “stickiness” of the water molecule
allows the water to cling to the surface of the string.
Procedures
1. Start with one cup filled with 5 tablespoons of water and one cup empty. Cut a length
of string about 24″ (61 cm) long. Hold one end of the string and dip the rest into the
water to get it wet.
2. Tape the dry end of the string to the inside bottom of the dry cup at the center. Pretty
much any type of tape will work. Press the tape firmly to the cup. Test it with a gentle
tug.
3. Add some food coloring to the water. This makes it easier to see what’s happening.
4. Hold the loose end of the string in the water and hold the water  cup slightly apart
from and above the dry cup. Keep them far enough apart that the string is as taut as you
can make it without pulling off the tape.
Tilt the water toward the string and slowly pour it out of the cup and down the string.
Keep the string in the bottom cup away from the rim so the water flows into the bottom
of the cup.
5. Use a different liquid (5 tablespoons soda) for comparison. Which liquid has the
better cohesion?
6. Use different a “string” (24” long shoelace). Which material allows the better
adhesion?

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Questions:
1. Define adhesion

According to Biology dictionary.net, Adhesion is the tendency of some substances to

cling to other substances. From its root words “ad” for “other” and “hesion” for “to stick
to.” Finally, adhesion is usually caused by the interaction between the molecules of two
substances.
2. Define cohesion

According to Helmenstine from thought.com, The word cohesion comes from the
Latin word cohaerere, which implies "to rest or remain." Also, it's a measure of how well
molecules follow one another or group together. Finally, it's caused by the cohesive
attraction between like molecules.
Water Soda
Time it takes for substance .62 min .53 min
to be transferred ( in
minutes)
String Shoelace
Time it takes for water to .55 min 1.23 min
be transferred (in minutes)

3. Based on your evidence, what statement can you make about water’s speed of
climbing a string relative to its diameter?

I think the water’s speed of climbing a string is caused by its diameter. Also, the
gravitational forces are affecting the water's speed. Therefore, it’s diameter and the
gravitational forces will determine the volume of liquid raised. In fact, water possesses
this unique property
5. What does this mean about how fast water is able to “climb” tubes within plants?
Water “climbing” tubes within plants is caused by the process of capillary action.
Plants has their roots into the soil and it carries water up into the plant. Through
capillary action, the water will move up into the roots. The thing is capillary action can
only “travel” the water in a small distance that is why the process of adhesion and
cohesion are big help to make this water accessible to the other parts of the plant.

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III. The Heat Capacity of Water

Purpose

The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the heat capacity of water. Specific heat
is the amount of energy required to raise 1.0 gram of a substance 1.0 o C.
Materials:
2 Strings (about 10 inches in length)
2 empty plastic bottles (same kind)
Candle and Match
1. Tie the first empty plastic bottle with the string in an upright position.
2. Light the candle.
3. Suspend the bottle and put the candle below it. Note the time it takes for the bottle to
burn.
4. Get the second empty plastic bottle. Fill the bottle with water up to the brim.
5. Tie the filled bottle with the other string; again, in an upright position.
6. Suspend the filled bottle and put the lighted candle below it (same height as the first
bottle). Note the time it takes for the bottle to burn.
Questions
1. Define specific heat.
According to Lumenlearning.com, Specific heat is a measurement of the level of
heat used to elevate and increase the temperature of one gram of a pure substance by
one degree Kelvin.
2. Based on your evidence, which substance has the higher specific heat?
The lower? Explain.
For us to elevate the temperature of the water, it needs a higher energy to make it
happen. From this, we can say that the water has a high specific heat capacity since it
needs a higher energy to increase its temperature compared to other substances.
3. Think about and explain the relationship between high specific heat of a
liquid and hydrogen bonding.
Hydrogen bond forms when the temperature of the water slightly decreases,
meaning it releases an enough amount of energy in the form of heat. Now, the Calorie of
the heat will cause a small change in the temperature because most of the heat is used to
disturb hydrogen bonds before the water begin moving faster.

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4. How is this important in nature?

The Earth’s surface has a high specific heat, meaning it needs a large amount of
energy to raise the temperature of a specific substance. Now, the deal is the Earth’s
water has the capacity to absorb a huge amount of heat without an increase in the
temperature. Through this, it can balance the temperature of the Earth at its finest.

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IV. Now You See It, Now You Don’t

Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to introduce the idea that different types of
liquids may dissolve different substances.

Materials
 6 plastic cups
 6 plastic spoons
 Water
 Oil
 Granulated salt
 Granulated sugar
 Food Color
Procedures
1. Fill 3 plastic cups 1/3 to 1/2 full with water.
2. Fill 3 plastic cups 1/3 to 1/2 full with oil.
3. Put about a half-teaspoon of salt into the water in one cup and another half teaspoon
of salt into the oil in one cup.
4. Stir each for about 20 seconds or until dissolved.
5. Record your observations in the table on your lab sheet.
6. Repeat this procedure with sugar and food color (very minimal amount)
7. Record your observations.
Questions:
A solvent is the liquid that is doing the dissolving. A solute is the substance that will be
dissolved in the liquid. Record your observations about how quickly and thoroughly
each of the solutes dissolves in water and oil in the table below.
Solvent Solute
Salt Sugar Food Color
Water quickly dissolved – soluble to water the coloring
the salt is soluble to(slower than salt). diffuses and the salt
the water. Has few visible is soluble
particles at the
bottom
Oil the salt sinks at the slightly soluble. not soluble. Oil
bottom of the Has fine breaks into smaller
mixture and has precipitate. droplets.

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large visible
particles.

1. Summarize what you found in your experiment, based on your recorded observations.
In summary, when the solutes are mixed with the water they can all be dissolved
therefore, they are soluble (soluble or slightly soluble). On the other hand, when the
given solutes mix with the oil they are not soluble, meaning they can’t be dissolved in
that particular solvent. Thus, the observations are irrevocable and it justifies that some
substances do not have and have the capacity to be dissolved in specific levels.
2. Why do you think that some substances dissolve easier in one type of liquid than in
another?
I think that it has something to do with the factors that affects the solubility of the
substance. According Solubility-of-things.com, solubility increases with temperature.
Meaning, if there is an increase in temperature some substances like gas became less
soluble in each other and in water but more soluble in organic solvents. Having a similar
polarity, solutes dissolve in solvents. Therefore, Non-polar solutes do not actually
dissolve in polar solvents. Smaller particles are usually more soluble if and if only the
pressure, and temperature are the same. Finally, it depends on the stirring of the solute
which means the higher you stir the substance the higher the possibility it will dissolve.

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DOCUMENTATIONS:

I. Surface Tension of Water

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 COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

II. Adhesion and Cohesion

III. The Heat Capacity of Water

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IV. Now You See It, Now You Don’t

REFERENCES

Atienxa, L. (2018). Factors affecting solubility. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from
https://www.solubilityofthings.com/basics/factors_affecting_solubility.php

Katy McLaughlin, P. (2020, May 16). Adhesion. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from
https://biologydictionary.net/adhesion/

Anne Marie Helmenstine, P. (2019, July 17). Definition and Examples of Cohesion in
Chemistry. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-
cohesion-604933

Mott, V. (2016). Introduction to Chemistry. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/introchem/chapter/specific-heat-and-heat-capacity/

Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science