While not the main point of this activity, students do witness the phenomenon when the paraffin melts from the heat of the burner. The interaction between molecules are determined by the structure of the molecule. Water is polar and oil is nonpolar. The two do not mix unless an emulsifying agent is added. The electric force is a universal force that exists between any two charged objects.
Water is a polar molecule, resulting from the uneven distribution of charge in the molecule.
An example of this phenomenon is the movement of heat from warmer to cooler objects, such as the movement of heat from a burner to a pan to a block of paraffin. While not the main point of the activity, this phenomenon is witnessed. Page maintained by Steve Gentle, Research Associate.