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Topic: Bulk liquid  (Read 4027 times)

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Offline Morgrothiel

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Bulk liquid
« on: July 05, 2007, 12:07:49 PM »
I am really having a har time finding an answer to this question. What is a bulk liquid (as opposed to a nanodrop)?

Offline Borek

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Re: Bulk liquid
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2007, 12:42:40 PM »
Everything that can be cosidered 'huge' - whatever it means in context. When compared with nanodrop probably every drop visible to the naked eye will be bulk liquid. Up to the ocean size (assuming you agree with me that ocean is kind of a drop; just huge ;) ).
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Offline Morgrothiel

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Re: Bulk liquid
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2007, 03:31:32 PM »
Why, it wasnt as hard as I had feard. Thanks  ;D

Offline Yggdrasil

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Re: Bulk liquid
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2007, 04:24:07 PM »
Any area where liquid molecules are interacting with only liquid molecules is considered bulk liquid.  The properties of the liquid, however, may be different at the interface of the liquid with some other material (e.g. air, the container, etc.) because here, the liquid is interacting with molecules other than molecules in the liquid.  So the surface of the liquid would not be considered bulk liquid. 

In a drop of water everything except for a few layers of water molecules near the surface would be considered bulk liquid.  In a macroscopically sized drop of water (e.g. one visible to the naked eye), the bulk water makes up most of the water in a drop.  However, in a nanoscopic drop of water, the surface would make up a significant portion of the drop, so it will not behave like bulk water.

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