LAB 6 | Properties of Soap and Surface TensionJ table2 Observations for Emulsifi
ID: 1030253 • Letter: L
Question
LAB 6 | Properties of Soap and Surface TensionJ table2 Observations for Emulsification [12 pt.] Olive oil/water immediately after shaking Olive oil/water 10 minutes after shaking Oolive ol/soap solution immediately ater shakinguedl fomy n ste Olive oil/soap solution 10 minutes after shaking Olive oil/detergent solution immediately after shaking Jery buby Clly cne ive ol/detergent solution 10 minutes after shaking cleerer 4. Which of the following solutions are emulsifiers: olive oil, water, soap, or detergent? Do your obser- vations in table 2 support this? Please explain. [14 pt.Explanation / Answer
An emulsion is an apparent homogenous mixture of two liquids which are normally immiscible. These systems contain a liquid immiscible (here olive oil) in another yet dispersed in the solvent fluid (here water). Such emulsions are formed by using substances which promote the mixing of the two liquids - emulsifiers.
Emulsifiers are usually composed of two types of groups of which each group interacts specifically with one of the liquids only. Thus they form favourable interactions with both the immiscible fluids mixing one in another.
Soaps and detergents are composed of two kinds of groups - a long-chain hydrocarbon "tail" and a polar group like carboxylate, sulphonate or phosphate "head". Using the tails they interact with non-polar substances like oils and using the polar heads, they interact with hydrophilic substances. This way they form supramolecular aggregates called micelles which have these emulsifier molecules aligned in large numbers encapsulating the olive oil molecule with their polar heads all pointing outside thus also mixing with water. Hence one observes the olive oil mixing with water.
So we can say that of the four substances used, soaps and detergents are emulsifiers which help form an emulsion of oil in water or water in oil (this system has emulsifiers forming inverse micelles rather than micelles and have the polar heads pointing inwards).
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