Abstract
IT has been an unresolved paradox1 that for many solutions such as soap the surface tension is only a fraction of that of water, and yet the Gibbs theorem strictly requires that in the neighbourhood of the surface there should be proportionately more water than in the bulk of the solution. When the solution is thoroughly mixed and uniform right up to the surface (dynamic surface tension), the surface tension is practically the same as that of water. After a few thousandths of a second, the surface tension is very greatly lowered, in spite of the accumulation of more water in the surface demanded by Gibbs.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
J. W. McBain and D. A. Wilson, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 58, 379 (1936).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McBAIN, J. Pre-Gibbs Adsorption by Surface Rearrangement. Nature 137, 659 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/137659b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/137659b0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.