102k views
4 votes
Explain why water wet glass but mercury does not


User Aem
by
4.5k points

1 Answer

1 vote
When liquid water is confined in a tube, its surface (meniscus) has a concave shape because water wets the surface and creeps up the side. Mercury does not wet glass - the cohesive forces within the drops are stronger than the adhesive forces between the drops and glass.
User Azhar Ali
by
4.3k points