Question

If a magnet is suspended over a container of liquid air, it attracts droplets to its poles. The droplets contain only liquid oxygen; even though nitrogen is the primary constituent of air, it is not attracted to the magnet. Explain what this tells you about the magnetic susceptibilities of oxygen and nitrogen, and explain why a magnet in ordinary, room-temperature air doesn’t attract molecules of oxygen gas to its poles.

Short answer

This is hold due to paramagnetic material liquid oxygen.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of paramagnetic material

The term paramagnetic material may be defined as the material when placed in magnetic field they get weakly magnetized in the direction of magnetizing field.

Explain the reason of question

If the liquid oxygen is paramagnetic material so a magnet is suspended over a container of liquid air, it attracts droplets to its poles. And somewhere if the droplet of oxygen not attract to the magnet it means liquid nitrogen is diamagnetic. The susceptibility of the paramagnetic material and diamagnetic material is positive and negative respectively. The susceptibility of the liquid oxygen and nitrogen positive and negative respectively. A magnet in ordinary, room-temperature air doesn’t attract molecules of oxygen gas to its poles because dry air is not magnetic.