Despite the large body of research on coalescence, firm agreement between experiment, theory, and computation has not been established for the very first moments following the initial contact of two liquid volumes. By combining a range of experimental and computational modeling approaches in two different geometries—namely, drop-drop and drop-bath configurations—we elucidated the influence of the intervening gas and van der Waals forces on coalescence. For the simple liquids considered here, the gas influences both pre- and postcontact regimes, with jump-to-contact being the primary mode of merging. Subsequently, wave-like air pockets are observed and ultimately influence the initial opening dynamics of the neck.

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• Capillary waves
• Drop coalescence
• Drop interactions
• Drops & bubbles
• Interfacial flows
• Surface tension effects
• Thermocapillarity