Chemistry Laboratory Help?

The reason some volume was lost upon transferring is adhesion between your water molecules and the gl surface of the container. Because water molecules are held on to each other by weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds, these can easily be broken if stronger forces act on your system (in this case the liquid, water). The force acting on it is mechanical adhesion of the water molecules and the gl surface. When water is transferred between various gl containers, it's likely that various water molecules are trapped along microscopic nooks and crevices on the surface of the gl containers which results in many water molecules being physically stuck on these and broken away from the rest of the liquid. That is, the intermolecular water-water bonds are physically broken and new, intramolecular water-solid bonds form. This is an example of adhesion and the result would be a total loss of volume from the original amount placed in the initial container to the volume placed in the last container. Also note, the kind of containers the volume is transferred from doesn't matter, a total loss of liquid will still remain. The only thing that matters is the number of containers the volume is transferred from/into.