PHYSICS

INVESTGATIVE
PROJECT

NAME : R.V.MANIESSH RAM

CLASS : XI
SEC : C
ROLL NO : 11315
 Certificate
This is to certify that the Physics Investigatory Project titled
‘Effect of Detergent on Surface Tension of Water WATE’ has
been successfully completed by R.V.MANIESSH RAM of
class XI-Rose under the supervision and guidance of
Physics teacher in partial fulfilment of curriculum of Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) leading to the award
of annual examination of the year 2023-2024.

All the works related to the project is original and genuine

and has been completed solely, sincerely and satisfactorily
by the candidate to investigate about the subject matter.

Examiner’s Signature

Subject teacher’s Signature Principal’s Signature

 Acknowledgements

I hereby express my gratitude to my Principal and

Physicssir Ma’am for their guidance throughout my
studies. I also thank my parents who supported me in all
my endeavours. I also thank my classmates who have
equally worked hard to make my project a success. And
last but not the least I thank the almighty for everything
that I have achieved till now.
 INDEX
Sr No. Contents Pg. No.

1 Certificate

2 Acknowledgement

3 Aim

4 Introduction

5 Theory

6 History

7 Apparatus Required

8 Procedure

9 Observation

10 Conclusion
The Effect of Detergent on Surface Tension of
11
Water in Aquatic Environment
12 Bibliography
 Aim:
To study the effect of detergent on the surface tension of
water by observing capillary rise
Introduction:
The surface tension is determined by what molecules are present in the
one or so layers of molecules at the surface of the interface between a
liquid and its vapor or air from the atmosphere.
Molecules that are surface active or detergents have two properties
that cause them to reduce the surface tension of water. First, there is
an excess concentration of these molecules at the interface (called the
surface excess concentration) and the forces between these molecules
is smaller than, or interfere with, the bonding between the water
molecules at the surface. Therefore it is easier (takes less energy) to
"stretch" the surface of the interface. It turns out that a lot, but not all
by any means, of such molecules have a hydrophilic polar end, and a
hydrophobic end. The polar end sticks into the water phase and the
hydrophobic end (often a hydrocarbon) sticks up into the vapor or air
phase. Within the water phase these surfactants form bodies called
micelles where the hydrophilic (water loving) heads point into the
water phase and the hydrophobic tails are on the "inside" of these
microscopic globules. Since these hydrocarbon ends are more weakly
bonded to one another they are easier to stretch. As the surface is
stretched and the surface density of the "tails" decreases there are
new ones below in the water phase ready to take their place on the
surface.
Theory:
A detergent when added to distilled water reduces surface tension of
water. If we use same capillary tube to study the rise of pure distilled
water and then the rise of detergent mixed water (solution), we shall
find that the rise will be less in case of solution. If quantity of
detergent (solution concentration) is increased, rise will be still
lesser.
History:
The first recorded observation of capillary action was by Leonar do da
Vinci.A former student of Galileo, Niccolò Aggiunti (it), was said to have
investigated capillary action In 1660, capillary action was still a novelty
to the Irish chemist Robert Boyle, when he reported that “some
inquisitive French Men” had observed that when a capillary tube was
dipped into water, the water would ascend to “some height in the Pipe”.
Boyle then reported an experiment in which he dipped a capillary tube
into red wine and then subjected the tube to a partial vacuum. He found
that the vacuum had no observable influence on the height of the liquid
in the capillary, so the behavior of liquids in capillary tubes was due to
some phenomenon different from that which governed mercury
barometers

Others soon followed Boyle’s lead Some (e.g., Honoré Fabri Jacob
Bernoull) thought that liquids rose in capillaries because air could not
enter capillaries as easily as liquids, so the air pressure was lower inside
capillaries. Others (e.g., Isaac Vossius Giovanni Alfonso Borelli,Louis
Carré,Francis Hauksbee,Josia Weitbrecht thought that the particles of
liquid were attracted to each other and to the walls of the capillary.

Although experimental studies continued during the 18th century a

successful quantitative treatment of capillary action was not attained
until 1805 by two investigators: Thomas Young of the United
Kingdom and Pierre-Simon Laplace of France. They derived the Young–
Laplace equation of capillary action. By 1830, the German
mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss had determined the boundary
conditions governing capillary action (i.e., the conditions at the liquid-
solid interface)In 1871, the British physicist William Thomson (Lord
Kelvin) determined the effect of the meniscus
phenomena and physics
of capillary rise :
Capillary flow experiment to investigate capillary flows and phenomena
aboard the International Space Station

A common apparatus used to demonstrate the phenomenon is

the capillary tube. When the lower end of a vertical glass tube is placed
in a liquid, such as water, a concave meniscus forms. Adhesion occurs
between the fluid and the solid inner wall pulling the liquid column up
until there is a sufficient mass of liquid for gravitational forces to
overcome these intermolecular forces. The contact length (around the
edge) between the top of the liquid column and the tube is
proportional to the radius of the tube, while the weight of the liquid
column is proportional to the square of the tube’s radius. So, a narrow
tube will draw a liquid column higher than a wider tube will, given that
the inner water molecules cohere sufficiently to the outer ones.
Apparatus Required:
& setting the apparatus

❖ Place the adjustable height stand on the table and make its base
horizontal by level-ling screws.
❖ Take dirt and grease free water in three 100ml beakers.
❖ Take three capillary tubes of radius 0.05 mm.
❖ Clean and dry them, clamp the capillary tubes in a metallic plate.
Also clamp a pointer after third capillary tube.
❖ Clamp the horizontal handle of the metallic plate in a vertical
stand, so that the capillary tubes and the pointer become vertical.
❖ So adjust the height of metallic plate that the capillary tubes dip in
water in open dish.
❖ Adjust the position of the pointer, such that its tip just touches the
water surface.
 Procedure:
A. Arrangement of Apparatus
I. Take 50ml of dirt and grease free water in each beaker.
II. Dissolve approximately 1gm of a detergent in the water in beaker B
to make a dilute solution.
III. Add approximately 2gm of detergent in the water of beaker C to
have a solution with double concentration.

B. Measurement of capillary rise

IV. Find the least count of the travelling microscope for the horizontal
and the vertical scale. Record the same in the note-book.
V. Raise the microscope to a suitable height, keeping its axis
horizontal and pointed towards the capillary tubes.
VI. Bring the microscope in front of first capillary tube (which has
maximum rise).
VII. Make the horizontal cross wire just touch the central part of the
concave meniscus seen convex through microscope.
VIII. Note the reading of the position of the microscope on the vertical
scale.
IX. Now move the microscope horizontally and bring it in front of the
second capillary tube.
X. Lower the microscope and repeat steps 4 and 5.
XI. Find the rise of the solution in same capillary tube. The rise will be
less than that for pure water.
 XII. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for third capillary tube.
XIII. Find the rise of this concentrated solution in same capillary tube.
The rise will be still lesser.
XIV. Lower the stand so that pointer tip becomes visible.
XV. Move the microscope horizontally and bring it in front of the
pointer.
XVI. Lower the microscope and make the horizontal cross wire touch
the tip of the pointer. Repeat step 9.

a) Measurement of the internal diameter of the capillary tube

XVII. Place a capillary tube horizontally on the adjustable stand.

XVIII. Focus the microscope on the end dipped in water. A white circle
(inner bore) surrounded by a green circular strip (glass cross
section) will be seen.
XIX. Make horizontal cross-wire touch the inner circle at A. Note
microscope reading on vertical scale.
XX. Raise the microscope to make the horizontal cross-wire touch the
circle at B. Note the reading (the difference gives the vertical
internal diameter AB of the capillary tube).
XXI. Move the microscope on horizontal scale and make the vertical
cross wire touch the inner circle at C. Note microscope reading on
horizontal scale.
XXII. Move the microscope to the right to make the vertical cross-wire
touch the circle at D. Note the reading (the difference gives the
horizontal internal diameter CD of the capillary tube).
XXIII. Record your observations.
Observation and Data analysis:
Beaker Volume of Water Amount of detergent Added to the Height of water in Decrease in height
Beaker the capillary tube

A 50 ml Nil 1.4 cm 0

B 50 ml 1 gm (1.09 gm) 1.2 cm 0.2

C 50 ml 2 gm (1.80 gm) 1.0 cm 0.4

As we start to add the mass the height of the liquid goes on decreasing
inside the capillary tube. It is because detergent decreased the surface
tension so that due to less surface tension the height of the liquid inside
the capillary tube goes on decreasing.
Reason for the decrease in surface tension
Molecules of most detergents and soaps are long chain
hydrocarbon molecules with an ionic group at one end, usually carrying
a negative charge, thus making it an anion. This charge is balanced by
the opposite charge of a soluble cation, for example Na+. The long
hydrocarbon chains do not interact well with water molecules, and many
of them are effectively ‘squeezed out’ to the interfaces between the
water and the air or the glass sides of the beaker. The effect of these
molecules on the water surface is to considerably weaken the forces
between water molecules there, thus lowering the surface tension.
In hard water there is a significant concentration of calcium, Ca2+,
and/or magnesium, Mg2+, cations. These cations form an insoluble
compound with soap anions, so instead of forming a surface layer, they
are precipitated out, leaving the surface tension little changed.

2 /\/\/\/\/\/\/COO−(aq) + Ca2+(aq) → (/\/\/\/\/\/\/COO)2Ca(s)

However, the calcium and magnesium salts of many detergent
molecules are soluble, so detergents still lower the surface tension of
hard water.
From our experiment we observed that,
the rise in capillary tube decreases with addition of detergent in pure
water. With more addition of detergent, rise becomes lesser and lesser.
Conclusion:
The addition of the detergent on the surface tension
decreases the surface tension. Due to this detergents
are used for making the soft water, washing the
clothes, and as a cleansing agent.
The Effect of Detergent on Surface Tension
of Water in Aquatic Environment:
As we look at water strider, it can walk safely on water surface to catch
food without sinking. It is not because of it has less density than water,
but it can float because of there is a support from surface tension of
water. Water can form a tension on the surface which acts like a thin
layer. This tension causes by the "cohesion" interaction between
molecules of water on the surface. The molecules are pulled by the other
molecules at the side and below the surface, and since there are no any
molecules above the surface of water, this interaction becomes stronger.
The interaction is similar to when we tight the balloons together with
the strings. The balloon connects each other from one to one. This also
causes water drop a spherical shape.
However, by giving a small drop of detergent to water, water strider is
soon sink into water. This is because surface tension of water is loose in
the present of detergent. Here, how detergent affects the surface
tension of water due to weighing water drops. The different samples
with different concentrations of detergent are prepared: 0%, 0.001%,
0.0025%, 0.005%, 0.01%. Then, ten drops of each sample are weighed.
By comparison, an interesting result is found that the weight of the drops
becomes decreased while the amount of detergent increased. Another
ways to say, the size of the drops gets smaller when the amount of
detergent increases.
From this result, it is clear to say that detergent is a substance that
decreases the surface tension of water significantly. It can be explained
that, if the surface tension of water is stronger, it can keep the drops in
bigger size with heavier weight. But the result is, in the present of
detergent, the drop becomes smaller or lighter. This means detergent
can reduce surface tension of water.
Therefore, it is proved that detergent is not good for aquatic organisms
especially the group of insects that depend on the surface of water such
as water strider. With the enough amount of detergent in water, those
insects cannot survive. On the other hand, water condition must also
changes. It could cause Eutrophication Phenomenon in the water if too
much detergent is contributed to the water.
Bibliography:
❖ Google
❖ Chart-gpt
❖ Physics Textbook