Question

1. look at figure 1 showing the results of a capillary tube being placed in a beaker of water and in a beaker of mercury. which meniscus is convex? which meniscus is concave? mercury is convex water is concave 5. referring to figure 1, notice that water shows capillary attraction, while mercury shows capillary repulsion. using your knowledge of capillary action, propose a reason why the meniscus of mercury appears different than that of water.

Explanation:

The meniscus of a liquid in a capillary tube depends on the relative strength of adhesive (liquid - tube) and cohesive (liquid - liquid) forces. In water, adhesive forces between water and the glass tube are stronger than the cohesive forces within water, causing the water to climb up the tube and form a concave meniscus. In mercury, cohesive forces within mercury are much stronger than the adhesive forces between mercury and the glass tube, resulting in a convex meniscus as mercury tries to minimize its contact with the tube.

Answer:

The reason the meniscus of mercury appears different than that of water is that the cohesive forces within mercury are stronger than the adhesive forces between mercury and the glass tube, while for water, the adhesive forces between water and the glass tube are stronger than the cohesive forces within water.