Water has a high surface tension. Some insects can stride across the water due to the combination of their legs and the high surface tension of the water. Which property of water best explains the high surface tension?

A) High surface tension of water is best explained by its property of adhesion. Adhesion is the attraction of water molecules to water molecules.

B) Cohesion is a property of water that enables the high surface tension. Cohesion is the attraction of water molecules with other water molecules,

Eliminate

C) Cohesion is a property of water that best explain the high surface tension. Cohesion is the attraction of water molecules to other types of molecules.

D) High surface tension of water is best explained by its property of adhesion. Adhesion is the attraction of water molecules to other types of molecules.

Answer: C. Cohesion

B) Cohesion is a property of water that enables the high surface tension. Cohesion is the attraction of water molecules with other water molecules.

Explanation:

The individual water molecule has dipole due to the polar nature of the covalent bond between oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Higher electronegativity of the oxygen atom of a water molecule allows it to attract the bonding electrons and acquire a partial negative charge. The hydrogen atoms carry a partial positive charge. As a result, there is an electrostatic attraction between oxygen atoms of one water molecule and hydrogen atoms of another.

This electrostatic attraction is called a hydrogen bond and is responsible for the cohesiveness of water molecules. Cohesion prevents the separation of water molecules from one another and imparts high surface tension to water.

This is observed when some insects can walk on the water surface without separating the individual water molecules apart. The attraction force between water molecules in the form of hydrogen bonds is strong enough to allow them to stay together and do not spread out in a thin film.