Why Does Ink Move Rapidly on a Film When Refilling a Fountain Pen?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around the observation of a thin film of ink forming at the mouth of an ink bottle, which exhibited rapid, random movements reminiscent of oil on water. The user speculates on the cause of these movements, suggesting that the hydrogen bonds in water may be in a constant state of flux, contributing to the observed dynamics. Another participant proposes that the phenomenon could be related to thin film interference, similar to the patterns seen with oil on water, and suggests that evaporation and drainage of water might also play a role. The conversation highlights the interplay of physical chemistry and visual phenomena in everyday materials like ink.
mahela007
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In spite of the widespread ball point pen, I still use a fountain pen for calculations.. One day, I ran out of ink while writing (duh..) and opened the cap of my ink bottle to refill my pen. Now, as I opened the cap, a thin film of ink was formed around the mouth of the bottle.. in other words, it was like a partially formed bubble.. Now, because this was ink, I was able to see, rapid, random looking movements on this film/membrane of ink...Imagine the colors you get when oil mixes / floats on water.. now imagine those colors were all blue and imagine them constantly moving, turning, twisting etc..
what do you think caused these weird movements? I've read that the H bonds of water are in a constant state of flux and that the bonds keep forming and breaking... could this be the cause?
 
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An interesting observation and I suspect it was thin film interfernce,similar to the oil on water pattern you described.The movement could be due to the water draining and evaporating.
 
thanks... I'll check that out.
 

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