Question

Spilling room-temperature water over your skin on a hot day cools you down. Spilling room-temperature vegetable oil over your skin on a hot day does not. Explain the difference.

Name: Problem 55, Chapter 11: Chemistry A Molecular Approach
Uploaded: 2020-03-05T01:01:45-08:00
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Channel: Ahmed Ali
Description: Spilling room-temperature water over your skin on a hot day cools you down. Spilling room-temperature vegetable oil over your skin on a hot day does not. Explain the difference.

   Spilling room-temperature water over your skin on a hot day cools you down. Spilling room-temperature vegetable oil over your skin on a hot day does not. Explain the difference.

Chemistry A Molecular Approach

Nivaldo J. Tro 4th Edition

Chapter 11, Problem 55

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert Ahmed Ali

03/05/2020

Step 1

This is because the process of converting water from liquid to vapor (evaporation) is endothermic, meaning it requires heat (energy) to occur. This can be represented as: \[ \text{Water (liquid)} + \text{Heat} \rightarrow \text{Water (vapor)} \] Show more…

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Spilling room-temperature water over your skin on a hot day cools you down. Spilling room-temperature vegetable oil over your skin on a hot day does not. Explain the difference.

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Key Concepts

Vapor Pressure and Volatility

Vapor pressure is a measure of a liquid's tendency to evaporate, with higher vapor pressure indicating greater volatility. At room temperature, water has a higher vapor pressure compared to vegetable oil, which means water evaporates more readily and cools you down, whereas vegetable oil remains largely intact on the skin.

Evaporative Cooling

Evaporative cooling refers to the process where a liquid absorbs heat from its environment as it changes phase from liquid to gas. This phase transition requires a significant amount of energy, which is absorbed from the surroundings (in this case, your skin), resulting in a cooling effect.

Latent Heat of Vaporization

Latent heat of vaporization is the energy required for a substance to transform from liquid to gas without changing its temperature. Water has a high latent heat of vaporization, meaning it absorbs a substantial amount of heat during evaporation, thereby cooling the skin effectively.

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