It can be either convex or concave. I am telling you that." And you could imagine And so you could imagine what's going to happen at the interface. CHARLES D. WINTERS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY. The adhesive forces between the liquid and the porous material, combined with the cohesive forces within the liquid, may be strong enough to move the liquid upward against gravity. And adhesion is the The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. The air pressure on the upper or concave side of the meniscus is the atmospheric pressure P. We know that the pressure on the convex side of the free surface is less than that on the concave side. This turns the meniscus in an upward direction. Powered by SiteManager | Contact Webmaster. A convex meniscus (sometimes called a "backwards" meniscus) is produced when the molecules of the liquid are more strongly attracted to each other than to the container. The surface of the water gets knocked up here. To settle an argument between myself and my partner, can you confirm that fact that the surface of water in a full glass can appear as a bubble taller than the surface of the glass is becuase of surface tension and not the gravitational pull of the moon. And then it's going to stick to the glass. Well sure, you can have a convex meniscus. This is a convex, convex meniscus. And just to be clear what's Mercury in a glass flask is a good example of the effects of the ratio between cohesive and adhesive forces. The meniscus can be either concave or convex, depending on the surface tension of the liquid and its adhesion to the wall of the container. you have two oxygen atoms. Water wicks up a paper towel because of the strong attractions of water molecules to the OH groups on the towels cellulose fibers and the strong attractions of water molecules to other water molecules. GB 340 7410 88. What is Meniscus? that's the water molecules. Maybe a moment ago it was right over here but it popped up here. United Kingdom, Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7432 1100 Direct link to Ivana - Science trainee's post Exactly! Explanation: The shape of the meniscus, of a given liquid, in a given container, is determined primarily by the comparative magnitudes of the relevant forces of cohesion and adhesion. of silicon oxide lattice. How is the meniscus of mercury different to that of water? If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. "We've been talking about how water "has this polarity, it Adhesion A balance of forces. Model release not required. Direct link to kayla gilbreath's post What would happen if you , Posted 7 years ago. For water and most liquids, this is the bottom of the meniscus. Mercury is more strongly attracted to itself (cohesion) and is convex in meniscus. electronegativity difference between oxygen and silicon is even higher than the electronegativity difference between oxygen and hydrogen. Both consist of long molecules of cellulose that contain many OH groups. electronegative than hydrogen. The meniscus of water in a glass is highest where the water is in contact with the glass, forming a curve with its low point in the middle. the top of a convex meniscus or the bottom of a concave meniscus. In some cases, the meniscus appears flat (e.g., water in some plastics). And you might be saying, "Wait, wait. Water, gasoline, and other liquids that flow freely have a low viscosity. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The strong adhesive forces between the water and the glass, pull the sides of the water upwards along the glass forming a concave shaped meniscus. thinnest blood vessels, those are very, very, very, very thin. higher near the container than it is when you're And if we didn't have a polar container, if we didn't have a hydrophilic container, well then the thing might A good example of this shape of meniscus can be seen with mercury in a glass container. Adhesion also drives capillary action, which draws a liquid up a narrow tube. In liquids such as water, the meniscus is concave; in liquids such as mercury, however, which have very strong cohesive forces and weak adhesion to glass, the meniscus is convex (Figure 11.4. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This procedure can be easily done because of capillary action, the ability of a liquid to flow up a small tube against gravity, as shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{7}\). That is called a convex meniscus (it vertex is at the top). What Is a Meniscus? - Definition, Uses & Lab Examples It is convex when cohesion is stronger. It is partly by capillary action occurring in plant cells called xylem that water and dissolved nutrients are brought from the soil up through the roots and into a plant. For water, adhesive force is stronger than the cohesive forces, sticking more strongly to the capillary wall than other water molecules, hence as the tube is thinner, the higher the level. The water rises up its tube and forms a concave meniscus at top. A meniscus can go up or down. Mercury forms a convex meniscus as there is a strong attractive force between the molecules of mercury than the force between the molecule and the walls of the container. United Kingdom, Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7432 1100 Most liquids, including water, present a concave meniscus. But once it came up, came in contact with the glass surface right First: the chemical composure of glass (Si and partially negative O), What would happen if you put salt water in it. Surface tension is defined as the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid, or the force required to increase the length of a liquid surface by a given amount. Measure the meniscus at eye level from the center of the meniscus. You see that right over here. Some insects, like the one shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\), even though they are denser than water, move on its surface because they are supported by the surface tension. A concave meniscus occurs when the molecules of the liquid are more strongly attracted to the container than to each other. What is upward meniscus? US toll free: 1-844 677 4151, General enquiries: info@sciencephoto.com 20.1 x 26.7 cm 7.9 x 10.5 in (300dpi . In the case of water and most liquids, the meniscus is concave. This is known as capillary Repulsion. Three forces are responsible for the behavior of the liquids - adhesion, cohesion, and gravity. Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): An overview of intermolecular forces in action as surface tension, viscosity, and capillary action. When reading a depth scale on the side of an instrument filled with liquid, such as a water level device, the meniscus must be taken into account in order to obtain an accurate measurement. It all depends on if the molecules of the liquid are more attracted to the outside material or to themselves. As pictured below, the volume should be read from the bottom of the meniscus. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. If the liquid molecules are strongly attracted to the tube molecules, the liquid creeps up the inside of the tube until the weight of the liquid and the adhesive forces are in balance. If I were to take, if I were Definition and Equations, Water Properties and Facts You Should Know, Precipitate Definition and Example in Chemistry, Chemistry Vocabulary Terms You Should Know, Examples of Physical Changes and Chemical Changes, 7 Things to Consider Before Buying a Telescope, How to Grow Crystals - Tips and Techniques, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. How far away should your wheels be from the curb when parallel parking? (credit photo: modification of work by Mark Blaser). The meniscus is the curve seen at the top of a liquid in response to its container. Meniscus in Chemistry A concave meniscus forms when the liquid molecules are more attracted to the container via adhesion than to each other via cohesion. Adhesion of water to the walls of the capillary tube will lead to an upward force on the liquid at the edges. Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): Differences in the relative strengths of cohesive and adhesive forces result in different meniscus shapes for mercury (left) and water (right) in glass tubes. You might have even observed this before. Larger drops are more greatly affected by gravity, air resistance, surface interactions, and so on, and as a result, are less spherical. Mercury When mercury is placed in a graduated cylinder, the cohesive forces in the mercury are stronger than the adhesive forces between the mercury and the glass. So if water is held in containers made of different materials, it may have meniscus of different shapes depending on the electrnegativity of the material? 3 When mercury is kept in glass meniscus is? ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-meniscus-605883. Explain. Direct link to deepalakshmi.vivekanandan's post why is mercury bending up, Posted 8 years ago. Capillary, capillary action. Among common liquids, water exhibits a distinctly high surface tension due to strong hydrogen bonding between its molecules. The height to which a liquid will rise in a capillary tube is determined by several factors as shown in the following equation: \[h=\dfrac{2T\cos}{rg} \label{10.2.1}\], Applications: Capillary Action is Used to Draw Blood. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Meniscus and Wetting. Water, Alcohol and Mercury. - YouTube These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. (credit: modification of work by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). And this phenomenon of something sticking to its container, we https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-meniscus-605883 (accessed May 1, 2023). Capillary action, Posted 7 years ago. we're in a liquid state. 7 Why is the meniscus of water concave and of? If you filled it with mercury, you would get a meniscus that looks like this where there's a bulge near the center when you're further away from the container than when you're at the container. A small tube has a relatively large surface area for a given volume of blood, which results in larger (relative) attractive forces, allowing the blood to be drawn farther up the tube. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Meniscus is caused by surface tension. Fun Fact: The word meniscus comes from the Greek word for "crescent." that looks like this where there's a bulge near the center when you're further Cohesion (chemistry) - Wikipedia However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. electronegativity difference between the silicon and A convex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to the container, as with mercury and glass. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. Surface tension, which arises due to the This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Capillary action can also occur when one end of a small diameter tube is immersed in a liquid, as illustrated in Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\). A meniscus can go up or down. W9 3RB Explain why the meniscus of water is concave and that of mercury is But it's one thing to just For every one silicon atom, Click here. body that allows you to live, but if you have a, if you spill are the glass molecules. Cohesive forces between like molecules are responsible for a liquids viscosity (resistance to flow) and surface tension (elasticity of a liquid surface). Why does Mercury have a convex meniscus? - BYJU'S Meniscus of Mercury | Physics Van | UIUC This happens when the cohesion of the substance (how much its atoms or molecules are attracted to each other) is greater than their adhesion (attraction) to the container they are in contact with. it's actually happening in your capillaries in your The outward curve is greater than the inward curve, the lens acts as a magnifier and has a positive focal length.