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Lab Assignment 2

Lab Assignment

Q Based on what you know about the importance of water’s surface tension in sustaining life, describe how the loss of surface tension due to contamination of a pond or lake with surfactants can lead to the death of organisms. Give two examples.

Q The experiment in the video testing the surface tension of oil was performed by a different person than the person who tested ethanol and water. The experimenters used similar materials and equipment to perform their studies, however, it is possible that they each handled the materials or performed the experiment differently from each other. Describe two possible differences in the way the materials were handled that may have affected the experimental results (the number of drops that could be added).

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The surfactant molecules usually absorb the water molecules and replace that position and reduce the attraction among the atoms. As a result, surface tension is decreased. But these surfactants can produce foam and decreases the re-oxygenation process in the pond and other water bodies and thus water quality detoriates. As a result, aquatic animals and plants can die.