Adding soap to water disrupts the hydrogen bonding between water molecules. A water strider is standing on the surface of a dish of water. What is most likely to happen if a drop of dish soap is added to the water?

A. The water strider will be able to move more quickly over the water's surface because of reduced friction.

B. The water strider will have more difficulty moving its feet because they will be more strongly attracted to the water.

C. The water strider will be unable to remain on the water's surface because of the loss of surface tension in the water.

Question

Biology

Tyson Burgess

18 January, 15:32

Adding soap to water disrupts the hydrogen bonding between water molecules. A water strider is standing on the surface of a dish of water. What is most likely to happen if a drop of dish soap is added to the water?

A. The water strider will be able to move more quickly over the water's surface because of reduced friction.

B. The water strider will have more difficulty moving its feet because they will be more strongly attracted to the water.

C. The water strider will be unable to remain on the water's surface because of the loss of surface tension in the water.

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Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Bush · Answer 1

The answer is C.) The water strider will be unable to remain on the water's surface because of the loss of surface tension in the water.

Dish soap removes surface tension. You know how you add soap when you're washing dishes? That's how it gets the grease off: by removing the surface tension.

Kaydence Pineda · Answer 2

C. The water strider will be unable to remain on the water's surface because of the loss of surface tension in the water.

Explanation:

If a drop of detergent is added to water, the water strider cannot remain on the water surface due to loss of surface tension in the water.

Water molecules make hydrogen bonds which are the most intense intermolecular interactions. The oxygen present in the H2O molecules is a strongly electronegative element and, therefore, attracts to itself the electron pairs shared with the hydrogen atoms, acquiring a negative charge, while the hydrogen is positively charged. Within the liquid, molecules attract each other in all directions, balancing the forces of attraction. On the water surface, however, something different happens, as there are no molecules above the surface water molecules, they are attracted only to the molecules below and around them. There is therefore an inequality of attraction that causes the contraction of the liquid and the formation of a kind of film on the surface of the water. This phenomenon is called surface tension of water.

Since soap has the power to disrupt hydrogen bonds in water, the presence of detergent prevents surface water tightness. This explains why the water strider could not remain on the water surface if a drop of detergent was added.