Surfactant
A Surfactant is a chemical compound that spontaneously bond with each other to form sealed bubbles.
- Example(s):
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Surface Tension, Detergent, Wetting, Emulsion, Emulsifier, Foaming Agent.
References
2020
- (Wikipedia, 2020) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant Retrieved:2020-12-10.
- Surfactants are molecules that spontaneously bond with each other to form sealed bubbles. [1] Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants. The word "surfactant" is a blend of surface-active agent, coined . [2]
Agents that increase surface tension are "surface active" in the literal sense but are not called surfactants since their effect is opposite to the common meaning. A common exampleis salting out: by adding an inorganic salt to an aqueous solution of a weakly polar substance, the substance will precipitate. The substance may itself be a surfactant - this is one of the reasons why many surfactants are ineffective in sea water.
[[Image: MORE2REMOVE in nature, meaning that micelles may be stable either as droplets of aprotic solvents such as oil in water, or as protic solvents such as water in oil. When the droplet is aprotic it is sometimesknown as a reverse micelle.]]
- Surfactants are molecules that spontaneously bond with each other to form sealed bubbles. [1] Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants. The word "surfactant" is a blend of surface-active agent, coined . [2]
- ↑ [1] NATURE | A New Chemical 'Tree of The Origins of Life' Reveals Our Possible Molecular Evolution | MICHELLE STARR | 3 OCTOBER 2020
- ↑ - "A new word, Surfactants, has been coined by Antara Products, General Aniline & Film Corporation, and has been presented to the chemical industry to cover all materials that have surface activity, including wetting agents, dispersants, emulsifiers, detergents and foaming agents."