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Chapter 6: Problem 13

Which of the following is emulsifier? (a) Soaps (b) Detergents (c) Both (d) None

Short Answer

Expert verified
The correct answer is (c) Both.

Step by step solution

01

Understand what an emulsifier is

An emulsifier is a substance that can stabilize the mixed state of two or more immiscible liquids, such as oil and water. Emulsifiers contain molecules with two different ends- one end (called the head) is hydrophilic, meaning it likes water, and the other end (the tail) is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water and instead prefers to combine with oils and fats.
02

Assess the properties of soaps

Soaps are substances used with water for washing and cleaning. They are made by the base-catalyzed hydrolysis of a fat or oil with a strong base like NaOH. Molecules of soap are composed of a long hydrocarbon chain (the hydrophobic tail) and a negatively charged head (the hydrophilic head). This makes soaps good emulsifiers as they can bind with both water (with their hydrophilic head) and oil (with their hydrophobic tail).
03

Assess the properties of detergents

Detergents, similar to soaps, have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail, which also makes them effective emulsifiers. The basic structure of a detergent molecule is also a hydrocarbon chain (which is soluble in oil) and an ionic group (which is soluble in water). This dual property of detergents enables them to mix oil and grease with water so they can be rinsed away.
04

Decide the correct answer based on the properties

Based on the discussion above about the structure and properties of both soaps and detergents, it can be seen that they both exhibit properties of an emulsifier, because they both contain molecules that can bind with water and oil or fat. Therefore they can stabilize the interaction between polar and non-polar substances.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Stability of lyophilic sol is due to (a) Brownian motion of only (b) electric charge only (c) both Brownian motion and charge (d) particle size

The minimum concentration of an electrolyte required to cause coagulation of a sol is called: (a) flocculation (b) gold number (c) Coagulation number (d) none

The potential difference between fixed charged layer and diffused layer with opposite charge is called (a) colloidal potential (b) electrode potential (c) zeta potential (d) none

Tyndall phenomenon is shown by (a) dilute solutions (b) colloidal solutions (c) suspension (d) true solution.

Migration of colloidal particles under the influence of electric field is called: (a) Browian movement (b) cataphoresis (c) dialy sis
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