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HOW SOAP WORKS. WHAT IS SOAP?. A mixture of sodium salts of various naturally occurring fatty acids Soap is a cleansing agent made from an alkali acting on natural oils and fats An alkali is a hydroxide or carbonate of an alkali metal. HOW IT WORKS.
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WHAT IS SOAP? • A mixture of sodium salts of various naturally occurring fatty acids • Soap is a cleansing agent made from an alkali acting on natural oils and fats • An alkali is a hydroxide or carbonate of an alkali metal
HOW IT WORKS • Most soaps remove grease and dirt because some of their components are surfactants (surface-active agents) • Surfactants have a molecular structure that acts as a link between water and the dirt particles • This loosens the particles from the underlying fibers or surfaces to be cleaned • One end of the molecule is hydrophilic (attracted to water) • The other is hydrophobic (attracted to substances that are not water soluble)
HOW SOAP AFFECTS MILK • Milk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, and tiny droplets of fat suspended in solution • When you add soap, the weak chemical bonds that hold the proteins in solution are altered • Soap molecules combine to form a cluster called a micelle
MICELLES • Micelles distribute the fat in the milk • This rapidly mixing fat and soap causes swirling and churning where a micelle meets a fat droplet • When there are micelles and fat droplets everywhere the motion stops, but not until after you've enjoyed the show! • “What show,” you ask???