Which compound would you expect to have greater surface tension: acetone [(CH3)2CO] or water (H2O)? Explain.

Video transcript

Hey everyone, we're asked to determine which between the two has a higher surface tension. Now we know that if we have a higher surface tension, then that means we have strong inter molecular forces. And comparing the two compounds, we can see that we have a nitrogen and hydrogen bonded in our first compound, while we have a nitrogen and a florin bonded in our second one. So our first compound, which is ammonia, is able to hydrogen bond, which is our second strongest inter molecular force and our second compound is unable to hydrogen bond and it has weaker inter molecular forces. So due to the hydrogen bonding, this means that ammonia has a higher surface tension. So I hope that made sense and let us know if you have any questions.