Lifetime of a single bubble on the surface of a water and ethanol bath

The time a single bubble stays on a liquid bath surface depends on deterministic drainage. However, for pure water, stochastic local disturbances also affect bubble death. For binary systems like water/alcohol mixtures (WAM), preferential evaporation of one component is crucial. We examine stochastic and deterministic effects on WAM bubble lifetime statistically using an automated bubble generator. The bubble lifetime probability density and the increase in its average with ethanol concentration depends on stabilizing Marangoni stresses arising from evaporation-induced heterogeneities.