Properties of liquids

Introduction

Liquids are one of the significant states of matter. There are three states of matter other than solid and gas. All States of matter possess different characteristics. The state of an object is classified by the distance between its molecules. In liquids, they’re neither close nor far. Properties of liquids can acquaint you with all significant concepts behind liquid’s actions and reactions.   

The liquid state of matter

The liquid state of matter possesses many different properties than solid and gas. Properties of liquids include basic properties like they have more intermolecular space in their molecules than solids and less than that of gas state. They have spaces between their molecules. Their molecules move randomly but still attract each other. Various liquids have various boiling and melting points. When liquid is heated to its boiling point, it evaporates. This process is known as vaporization. It is one of the crucial properties of liquids. Liquids can be obtained after melting the solids to their melting points. Gasses are turned into the water through a process known as condensation, and on the other hand, liquids can also transform into gaseous and solid states with several processes. Liquids can be turned into solid if cooled until their freezing point.

Liquids possess many unique chemical and physical properties such as volume, pressure, fluidity, and rigidity. Volume retention, viscosity, wetting agents, capillary action, cohesive-adhesive forces, surface tension, etc., are some properties of liquids. For example, Filling water bottles illustrates the liquid’s volume retention and shape property, whereas suction through a straw demonstrates capillary action. Like these, every other property of liquids can be noticed in everyday life.

Volume Retention

Liquid has no indefinite shape. Liquid takes the shape of the container in which it is present. Liquids have a high volume compared to other states of matter. The SI unit of volume is cubic meters. Liquids have a natural ability to maintain their volume. For e.g., when water is present in a pot, water takes the shape of the pot, and if it’s put in the bottle, it will again retain its volume leaving the previous shape and resulting in the retention of the bottle’s shape.

Shape

Due to lack of intermolecular attraction between their molecules, liquid has no shape, and liquid can remain in indefinite shape only till it is not moved from one place to another. E.g., When liquid is kept in a vessel for a long period, it is said to be of vessel shape. At the point when it is removed from the vessel, it loses its shape due to its volume retention property. 

Pressure 

Liquids exert pressure on all the sides of the box where it is present. Liquid possesses a unique pressure property called buoyancy. For Static liquids, there is high pressure in depth from the surface waving towards the opposite from depth. If anything is sinking in water, the more it’ll go to depth, the more opposing forces it’ll face. This property of liquids is called buoyancy. The object can only get immersed if it has more density than liquid.

Viscosity

Liquid flows from high position to low, and the speed at which it flows can be termed as viscosity. Viscosity can be described as the resistance of liquid within itself. It is due to strong intermolecular forces in-between molecules of the liquid, e.g., if we put some drops of two different liquids like water and milk on the downward slope, the liquid which reaches the ground first tend to have a higher viscosity, this occurs due to decreased self-resistance in that particular liquid.

Wetting agent

When a liquid is unable to spread due to excessive surface tension, various agents (elements) are used to reduce the surface tension of the liquid. These compounds are known as wetting agents. Wetting agents work by ionizing the water. As a result, PH levels of water increase and alkaline nature is observed.

Cohesion and adhesion forces

Whenever the liquid is filled in a particular thing or jar, it tries to increase its surface due to lower surface tension, but some forces oppose it and keep the liquid in shape. Those forces are known as cohesion and adhesion forces. A force is created when the intermolecular forces between like or neighbour molecules that force is termed as a cohesive force and in adhesive force attraction between unlike molecules are high. Cohesive and adhesive forces are one of the significant properties of the liquid. 

The surface tension of liquids

This liquid property can be observed when the liquid surface resists the outer object to immerse in it. That resistance is called the surface tension of liquids. Cohesive and adhesive forces perform altogether with the surface tension of liquids to create resistance. If the density of an object is higher than liquid, the surface tension would not be able to resist. 

For example, suppose a pin is dropped in water. The water surface will create the resistance force and resist the pin from immersing. If surface tension’s pressure is enough to nullify the pin pressure, the pin will float upon the surface of the water. In this, the resistance that resisted the pin on the surface of the water can be considered as the surface tension of water. 

Capillary action

When liquids flow in a narrow tube from low to top position without getting affected by any opposite force, i.e., gravity, that can be termed as capillary action. Capillary action only takes place when cohesive forces are weaker than adhesive forces.

Conclusion

Above, We came through various properties of one major state of matter, liquid. We learned about the liquid state’s volume retention, pressures, surface tension, flow, viscosity, and wetting agents properties. Additionally, we also learned the property of surface tension along with cohesion and adhesion forces with several examples. All these properties explain the scientific reasons behind the actions and reactions of the liquid medium that we observe in our day-to-day life.