Why can't water and oil come together
Hello Steemian
Yesterday the youngest brought oil in a dish. When he passed by the watery road, he slipped. fortunately don't fall. Unfortunately the oil in the dish spilled into runny soil. At that time he saw oil scattered in water. Oil is on the water. Oil cannot be integrated with the water underneath.
I am grateful he did not fall and endanger himself. After placing the plate he looked at the oil in the water. Then he approached me and asked a question.
" Why can't water and oil come together? Well, "
I paused for a moment.
"Solids of water and oil are both liquid but why can't they come together?"
Finally, I tried to explain why water and oil couldn't blend together by themselves.
Difference in molecular character
We often hear news oil spilling in the sea. Oil spilled in the sea is always visible on the surface. Motor oil that falls in a pool of water also looks sparkling. Even cooking oil can't mix with water.
Each object molecule has its own properties. Water molecules are polar molecules, meaning that one end of the molecule has a positive charge and the other end has a negative charge. So the water molecules always bind. These polars form strong hydrogen bonds with each other. Sugar and salt molecules can mix with water because they have the same polar molecules as water.
Oil has a type of non-polar molecule. This molecule can only be united with other non-polar molecules.
As a result, water and oil cannot be united because they have different molecules and cannot bind. When water and oil are shaken in a bottle, it will look mixed for a while. After that the two will start separating again. After being shaken, the oil will break into small granules and will reunite with other oil and separate from water.
Water molecules attract each other while oil will stick together. Then form two layers. Usually the water will be below while the oil is above the water. the position of oil above and water below is caused by the nature of the oil being less dense than water. The density of water is also greater than the density of oil so that water will always be under oil.
Need a catalyst
Water and oil can still be mixed, but must add emulsifiers. An intermediate that can connect the two substances so that they can become one. This emulsifier is often called a catalyst. one of the emulsifiers or catalysts between oil and water is detergent and soap.
Detergent and soap are emulsifying molecules with one polar end and one non-polar end. Oil, and soap are shaken together and cause a lot of foam, the mixture will be turbid or yellow. The molecule in detergent will become a bridge between oil and water molecules. So that oil and water cannot be separated.
This is beneficial right to clean oil that sticks to our skin. The trick is by using soap or detergent.
Thus all my writing this time may be useful for all of us.