Which of the following should have the highest surface tension at a given temperature?

A. CH4

B. CF4

C. CCl4

D. CBr4

E. CI4

E. CI4

Explanation:

The substance with the highest surface tension will be the one with the strongest intemolecular forces

All of the molecules have the formula CX4, where the X represents the halogen. All of them have a tetrahedral geometry. The geometry is important because it allows us to deduce that even thought all bonds are polar, the molecules of these substances themselves are non-polar since they are symmetrical. So the dominant forces in these substances are London dispersion forces which increase in strength as the size of the molecule increases. The biggest molecule is CI4

E. CI4

Explanation:

larger in size/larger molecule