The storage of energy at the surface of liquids. Surface tension has units of erg cm-2 or dyne cm-1. It arises because atoms on the surface are missing bonds. Energy is released when bonds are formed, so the most stable low energy configuration has the fewest missing bonds. Surface tension therefore tries to minimize the surface area, resulting in liquids forming spherical droplets and allowing insects to walk on the surface without sinking.
The surface tension for water against air is summarized in the following table (Weast 1981).
Bubble, Capillary Tube, Gibbs-Thomson Law
References
Weast, R. C. (Ed.). Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 61st ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, p. F-45, 1981.
