The Capillary Action of Gasoline: Debunking the Gravity-based Siphon Theory

[mrspeedybob]

I think a 10m+ siphon would work, just very slowly. The top of the tube would be full of water vapor instead of liquid.

Suppose the source body has a surface elevation of 10 meters, the tube goes up 20 meters and then down 30 meters to the destination body. Water travels up 10 meters from the source as liquid, then vaporizes. It then travels up another 10 meters and down 20 as vapor. It condenses 10 meters above the destination body. The weight of 10m of liquid + 20m of vapor > 10m liquid + 10m vapor so the siphon keeps going.

May be tricky to get started.

 

[BadBrain]

SAFETY WARNING: Isopropyl Alcohol is toxic and must not be swallowed, nor inhaled, nor allowed contact with the eyes. I only got a little in my mouth, and spat it out and rinsed my mouth immediately.

***

I've just performed my experiment:

I used a store-bought 91% solution of isopropyl alcohol, a miniature (2 oz) martini glass as my donor tank, a miniature (2ox) gravy boat as my receptor tank, and a straw from a juice box for my hose (yes, I actually bought one just for this experiment).

Observations: having initiated flow via oral suction, flow continued as long as the mouth of the short end of the straw remained submerged beneath the surface of the liquid within the donor tank.

Measurements Taken: HEY, C'MON! I was working with tiny little glass vessels and a tiny little drinking straw that I could hardly hold in my hands. If want measurements, YOU take them!

Conclusions (keeping in mind my "Possible Sources of Error" discussion below):

1) Isopropyl alcohol is capable of being siphoned, thus suggesting that intermolecular hydrogen bonding is neither a significant nor a necessary force for the operation of a siphon system;

2) Isopropyl alcohol tastes terrible!

Possible Sources of Error:

!) The physical-chemical properties of ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol may differ with regard to intermolecular attraction;

2) The 9% H2O content may have provided sufficient intermolecular hydrogen bonding to maintain the flow (although it wasn't a drip, but a good, strong flow).

***

Now I'll spend the rest of my life looking in vain for a laboratory that will have me!