alleryStart learning →Geckos can climb smooth surfaces because of:
AStatic electricity
BDispersion forces
CSuction cups
DChemical adhesives
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Dispersion forces
1. A gecko's foot carries millions of tiny hairlike structures called spatulae.
2. Experiments proved that geckos stick to surfaces because of dispersion forces.
3. Those are weak intermolecular attractions arising from temporary, synchronised charge distributions between adjacent molecules.
4. The animal adheres because of van der Waals attractions between the surface and its millions of spatulae.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 'Liquids and Solids', sections 10.1-10.6_
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