THE 10 MOST POPULAR VISCOSITY EXAMPLES - CHEMISTRY - 2025

Some examples of sticky or viscous substances are honey, oil, toothpaste, hair gel or shampoo, pharmacy syrups, and some chemicals such as mercury.

Viscosity is a measure of resistance to deformation caused by tensile stresses or shear stresses. Some people also know it by the adjective "thickness", although its real name is viscosity.

The resistance to flow is known as the "poise" or "CGM system" and is measured in dynes. It is defined as "the force required to move a square centimeter on a surface parallel to the first at a speed of 1 cm per second."

Viscosity is one of the most important elements for the lubrication of any machine and, therefore, for its operation. A low viscosity in a machine can wear it down quickly due to the absence of a “hydrodynamic cushion”.

It is a unique physical property of fluids that causes fluid particles to move at different speeds. The larger the molecules of a fluid, the greater its resistance to displacement, so when a tube or cylinder moves a liquid, the particles that are close to it move faster than the particles near the walls.

The more viscous fluids always have a slower movement, since the intermolecular forces of the liquid are stronger and greater.

On the contrary, since the molecules are smaller, they will have a minimum resistance force and their movement is always faster. Most liquids have different degrees of viscosity.

List with 10 examples of viscous substances

1- Oil

Oil is any liquid and fatty substance that is obtained after the processing of different seeds and fruits. On the other hand, fuel oils are obtained from oil refining.

Each of these oils has specific characteristics and uses. However, one of the elements that makes both types oils is precisely their viscosity, fuel oils usually have a higher degree of viscosity than edible ones.

2- Honey

It is a fluid that bees produce from the nectar of flowers or excrements of living parts of plants. It can be said that honey is one of the most viscous and sweetest animal fluids.

However, honey can sometimes have different degrees of viscosity due to post-capture processing. Sometimes they mix honey with sugar and other elements to market it and this causes it to lose viscosity.

3- Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a perfect example of a highly viscous fluid that we find every day in our chores. It is made up of water, abrasives, foam, colorants, fluorine, and other chemicals. It is also called toothpaste or toothpaste.

4- Hair gel

It is one of the most particular cases because its structure is similar to that of solids but it is a liquid with a high volume of viscosity.

Some gels can go from one state to another depending on how they are used. When they are agitated they are liquid and when they remain immobile they become solid.

5- Glycerin

It is a kind of alcohol with three hydroxyl groups. It is shown in liquid form at an ideal temperature of about 25ºC. It has a high coefficient of viscosity and a sweet taste. Glycerin is found in all animal fats and oils.

Its applications are diverse in the commercial plane, it is used for the production of cosmetics, soaps, detergents, humectants, antiseptics, solvent, lubrication and much more.

6- Ethyl alcohol

It is a normal colorless and flammable alcohol with a boiling point of 78.4ºC. It is the main product for the production of alcoholic beverages such as whiskey, wine, beer, rum and brandy. The viscosity grades in alcohols are generally very low.

7- Bitumen

Also called bitumen, it is a mixture of black organic substances that contain a high density that is completely soluble in “carbon disulfide” and is composed primarily of hydrocarbons. It is one of the most viscous organic substances that can be found in nature.

This viscosity is caused by the elements that compose it: sulfur, metals, vanadium, lead, mercury, arsenic and selenium; heavy and viscous elements that when integrated form an even more viscous compound.

8- Syrups

They are a type of liquid medicine made up of chemicals. Syrups have high viscosity because among their main components is sugar.

Sugar fulfills a double function, on the one hand, that of adding viscosity to the fluid and, on the other, it is a sweetener that gives the mixture a sweet taste.

It is one of the most used components in pediatrics and can be ingested by both children and adults.

9- Brea

It is a substance with a dark reddish color that is obtained by distilling wood from various types of trees on fire. Its degree of viscosity is very high due to the confluence of compounds that melt.

The pitch can be used as an antiseptic, for machine maintenance. Some basketball players smear it on their hands to better hold the ball.

10- Mercury

It is a chemical element that uses the symbol Hg. Mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid under standard conditions. Because it is heavy and due to its chemical structure, mercury has a high degree of viscosity.

Today it is common to use mercury for research purposes, it is also used to make fluorescent lights and dental amalgams.

Viscous substances appear both in everyday substances and in elements necessary to carry out industrial processes. Without this property of fluids, surely life would be very different.

References

1. Atkins, P; Jones, L. (2006) Principles of Chemistry: Paths of Discovery. Editorial Panamericana. Buenos Aires. Argentina.
2. Science For All (2014) Viscosity. Recovered from: lacienciaparatodos.wordpress.com.
3. Wikipedia contributors (2017) Viscosity. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
4. Mott, R. (2006) Fluid Mechanics. Editorial Assistant. U.S.
5. Diaz Ortiz, J. (2006) Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics. Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill. U.S.
6. FCM (2015) Properties of Fluids. Recovered from: fcm.ens.uabc.mx.
7. Widman International (2016) What is Viscosity? Recovered from: widman.biz.