Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why does water cling to glass after the glass is removed from water?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Why does glue stick? — adhesive Overview of how glue and other adhesives work.

When a piece of glass is submerged in water and then withdrawn, the water clings to the surface because the force of adhesion between the water molecules and the glass molecules is stronger than the force of cohesion between the water molecules themselves.1

In chemistry, these forces are defined as follows:
* Cohesion is the tendency of molecules of the same substance to stick together.2
* Adhesion is the tendency of molecules of two different substances to stick together.12

These attractive forces originate primarily from Coulomb (electrical) forces, such as van der Waals forces. Because the adhesive attraction to the glass is greater than the cohesive attraction within the water, the water remains attached to the glass surface rather than falling off completely.1