How do detergents work

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The water-loving end is known as the hydrophilic end. The water-loving end of the chemical is attracted to water. Once the surfactant is added to water, the water-fearing ends try to stay away from the water. They do this by organizing into the shape of a sphere with the water-loving ends on the outside and the water-fearing ends protected on the inside.

This spherical shape of surfactants is called a micelle. The micelle is important because it is what traps the soil. Remember, the inside of the micelle is hydrophobic and does not want to be near water. The soil is also hydrophobic, so it likes the environment the micelle creates.

The attraction of the soil to the inside of the surfactant micelle helps loosen the soil from its surface. Once the soil lifts off the surface, it becomes suspended in the water in the micelle.

This suspension is also known as emulsification of one liquid into another. Happy inside the micelle, the soil will not settle back onto the surface. Now that the soil is trapped in the micelle and the micelle is suspended in water, it is easy to wash the soil way. Remember the outside of our micelle loves water. So, as we rinse, the micelle floats away and we are left with a clean surface!

Clothes Hands Dishes Surfaces. You will need:. You can set up the balance in one of two ways, as shown in the diagram above. You'll soon find out which one works best for you. The lollystick is used for the lever and the nylon thread has the advantage of not soaking up water and influencing the balance. The piece of card can be suspended from the lollysick with the nylon thread to act as a counterbalance pan. To use your balance:. With your button balance, try measuring the surface tension of a range of liquids and comparing them.

For example: cold water, salt water, warm water and soapy water. You can also try changing the size of the button used or the material it is made out of. About us. Contact us. Soapy Science In this activity, you can: find out how detergents work , carry out four bubble-making experiments , explore surface tension and measure it by making your own button balance. How do detergents work? Back to the top. Making bubbles Bubbles and soap films are made of a thin layer of water, sandwiched between two layers of soap molecules.

Once you've made your bubble solution, you can try our four experiments! Experiment 1 Use your hands to make a hoop-shape. Experiment 2 Dryness not sharpness breaks bubbles. Experiment 3 Make a large hoop of string about 1 metre in diameter and tie 4 small loops at the corners to make handles. Experiment 4 Now try and make a bubble dome, like our diagram below.

Exploring surface tension "The introduction of the Dr. Marten size finally allowed Annie to walk on water" Water has many unusual properties, one of which is the phenomenon of surface tension.