Sorry, wanna be scientist here, but wouldn't the force of the gas molecule be less than the force of the liquid on such a scale as a nanometer? Possibly the forces on the bonds of the atoms even?
I concur with IllWill. Could it be surface tension or static pressure that keeps a gas bubble trapped under a liquid? Wouldn't heating the tube just raise the gas pressure higher than the static pressure and break the surface tension?
通苏通俗点的就是气压跟液压还有分子表面张力之间的较量!
Using Google Translate;
Tongsu's popular point is the competition between air pressure and hydraulic pressure and molecular surface tension!
I would have thought the phenomenon to be related to capillary action and surface tension of the liquid versus adhesion to the container. I guess I still don't understand the forces involved in capillary action completely.