Surface tension measurements of surface freezing in liquid normal alkanes.

Wu, X Z; Ocko, B M; Sirota, E B; Sinha, S K; Deutsch, M; Cao, B H; Kim, M W · Science · 1993

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Surface tension measurements reveal surface freezing in liquid n-alkanes. A solid monolayer of molecules is found to exist up to 30 degrees C above the bulk freezing point. This surface phase exists only for carbon numbers 14 n </= 50. The measured carbon number and temperature dependence of the surface tension is interpreted within a simple thermodynamical model based on known bulk latent heat data and surface energy considerations. The vanishing of the surface phase for n </= 14 is a possible transition from surface freezing to surface melting behavior.