Use appropriate chemical principles to explain why water droplets form on the outside of a beaker containing an ice bath.
I was thinking:
The ice bath causes the beaker temperature to decreases which in turn, cause the surrounding gas temperature to decrease. As the gas temperature decreases, the water in the air comes out of vapor and condensates on the surface of the glass.
Is there anything else I need to mention? Reword?
I might use the words "air and water vapor" in place of gas. But as is looks ok to me.
Your explanation is mostly correct, but here are a few additional points you could include to provide a more thorough explanation:
1. The decrease in temperature of the beaker containing an ice bath causes the surrounding air to cool down as well. As the air cools, its capacity to hold water vapor decreases.
2. When the cooling air reaches its saturation point, it can no longer hold all the water vapor present in the air.
3. The excess water vapor then begins to condense onto surfaces that are colder than the dew point temperature, which in this case is the outer surface of the beaker.
4. The drop in temperature of the beaker causes the outer surface to be colder than the surrounding air, making it an ideal location for the water vapor to condense.
So, to summarize, the formation of water droplets on the outside of the beaker in an ice bath occurs due to the cooling of the air, its reduced capacity to hold water vapor, saturation of the air, and subsequent condensation onto the colder surface of the beaker.