It is generally considered that the H-bonds are responsible for the stabilization of network of PVA in water. The major types of intermolecular interactions from inorganic salts are responsible for the network of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and water, which ruptures the multiple H-bonds between the -OH groups of the polymer chains; therefore, various ions possessing abilities to affect these bonds result in salting out. It has been suggested that water molecules in the region of ionic hydration spheres must have strong orientation preferences, which could considerably restrict their ability to reorient and form hydration shells around nearby nonpolar solutes and thus affect the microstructure. In this article, our primary objective was to study the variation of surface tension, as it reflects the change in short-range forces. Apart from this, we have also studied the surface tension behavior with the variation of concentration and temperature for different molecular weights of PVA. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.