Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
Published on: March 27, 2019
Image Charge Effects in the Wetting Behavior of Alkanes on Water with Accounting for Water Solubility
Kirill A Emelyanenko1, Alexandre M Emelyanenko2, Ludmila B Boinovich3
1A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect 31 bldg. 4, 119071 Moscow, Russia. emelyanenko.kirill@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Different types of surface forces, acting in the films of pentane, hexane, and heptane on water are discussed. It is shown that an important contribution to the surface forces originates from the solubility of water in alkanes. The equations for the distribution of electric potential inside the film are derived within the Debye-Hückel approximation, taking into account the polarization of the film boundaries by discrete charges at water-alkane interface and by the dipoles of water molecules dissolved in the film. On the basis of above equations we estimate the image charge contribution to the surface forces, excess free energy, isotherms of water adsorption in alkane film, and the total isotherms of disjoining pressure in alkane film. The results indicate the essential influence of water/alkane interface charging on the disjoining pressure in alkane films, and the wettability of water surface by different alkanes is discussed.
More Related Videos
06:31Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device
Published on: March 18, 2020
12:18Pore-scale Imaging and Characterization of Hydrocarbon Reservoir Rock Wettability at Subsurface Conditions Using X-ray Microtomography
Published on: October 21, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Acid-Catalyzed Hydration of Alkenes
Entropy and Solvation
Physical Properties of Alkanes
Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules,...
Intermolecular Forces and Physical Properties
Structure and Bonding of Alkenes
Doubly bonded carbons are sp2 hybridized and have a trigonal planar geometry. The double bond is composed of a σ bond formed by the overlap of hybrid orbitals and a π bond produced by the lateral overlap of unhybridized 2p orbitals on both the carbons. Each carbon atom is...