Question

How does each of the following affect the rate of evaporation of a liquid in an open dish? a. intermolecular forces b. temperature c. surface area

Answer 1

Each of them has a specific impact.

a. As intermolecular forces increase; rate of evaporation decreases.
This happens because intermolecular forces make it less likely for the molecules on the surface to escape from the liquid and become vapour (gas).

b. As temperature increases, rate of evaporation also increases. This is due to increasing kinetic energy of the surface molecules which leads them to free and become vapour.

c. As surface area increases, rate of evaporation also increases. This is because evaporation occurs among the molecules on the surface, not in the interior. This means; increasing the surface area will increase the chance of more molecules to evaporate.