How Does Soap Work?
Posted on January 1st, 2009 by monsterguide
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Soaps are made of potassium or sodium fatty acids. These fat-derived components are formed into soap. This is through the process called saponification.
Soap molecules are bipolar. They are made of two components. This is the head and the tail.
The tail is a hydrocarbon chain. It is the hydrophobic or water-fearing, non-polar part of the molecule. The head is carboxylate and hydrophilic or a water-loving polar component.
Soap dissolves in water. This happens when the hydrophilic heads form compounds. They form with the water molecules using both hydrogen bonding and ion-dipole interaction.
The water-loving heads are the reason soap is soluble in water. The hydrophilic tails repel water and form a structure on their own. The tails are typically attracted to each other.
They form a configuration called the “micelle.” Micelles are a cluster of soap molecules. Their tails serve as the anchorage of the structure. The heads serve as their solubility component with water.
They also have a negative overall charge. They tend to repel each other. They also form compounds with water molecules.
The micelle structure is round in shape. The circular configuration allows it to trap fats, dirt and oil within it. The dirt and oil is washed away with the hydrophilic heads. This is still in compound with water molecules.
This is the reason soap can be recognized as an emulsifier. This means it has the ability to trap immiscible components. This makes them washable with water.
There is a known trivia about soaps. Soap molecules break water surface tension. The water molecules’ ability to form spheres is depleted when soap is mixed with water.
That is the reason soapy water could reach hidden surfaces better. Soap is reverted back into fatty acids when mixed with acidic minerals. These fatty acids form what people call “soap scum”.
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