Is there any difference between surface tension and intermolecular attraction?

Question

I think the surface tension is due to the extra attraction among surface molecules.
Who exert the tension force? The surface molecules of course-- so it is nothing but a kind of molecular attraction.

Answer 1

Basically the molecules at the surface have extra bonds that are unused since there are no neighbors (or only weakly attracting neighbors in the situation the 2nd answer describes) in the volume beyond the surface, so that extra tension goes to the nearest molecules, those sharing the surface and those inside.

Answer 2

Yes, you are right. Surface tension is due largely to intermolecular forces. The above answer was right to link you to the wik page.

But also think of this. If the surface tension is "nothing but a kind of molecular attraction", then why would it matter what gas was outside of the surface? And it does (if only slightly).

Just one more factor to think about.

Answer 3

I think you're basically right.

Related to this is the point that a molecule is at a lower state of energy when surrounded by its fellows, so the overall system energy will be reduced by reducing exposed liquid area (which is proportional to the number of un-surrounded molecules). The tendency to reduce this exposed area will be expressed as surface tension.