Title: surface work
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - surface work
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.S06193
Status: current

Definition
Surface tension is the intensive factor in the differential expression for the work required to increase the area of the surface of tension. Measured under reversible conditions at constant temperature (and normally constant pressure) and referred to unit area, this work, the so-called (differential) surface work, is equal to the static surface tension.

Related Terms
- Surface tension: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/S06192
- surface of tension: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/S06183

Source
- PAC, 1972, 31, 577. 'Manual of Symbols and Terminology for Physicochemical Quantities and Units, Appendix II: Definitions, Terminology and Symbols in Colloid and Surface Chemistry' on page 597 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac197231040577)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06193/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06193/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06193/xml

Citation: Citation: 'surface work' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.S06193
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Accessed: 2026-05-09T10:05:03+00:00