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Left and Photo 1:
Soap reduces the surface tension or water: 0.1
ml water (left) gave 17 round micro
drops on a plastic surface. 28 flat micro drops (Photo 2) were
obtained from 0.1 ml soap water.
Explanation
The reduced surface tension of water resulted in 1.
its finer distribution due to lower cohesion and 2.
its a bigger contact area between each water drop and the water repellent
plastic surface (plastic was wetted).
Photos 3 and 4:
A protein solution acts like soap: Shake 1 ml
Becel plant oil and 3 ml protein solution. For control mix 1 ml 1 ml Becel
plant oil and 3 ml water.
Observations:
Oil separates from water immediately after the end of shaking. Oil and
protein solution formed a stable cloudy mixture. Explanation:
Lecithin, a substance in the protein solution, acts like soap: Both are
somewhat that is compatible with both the water and the oil. Both have
a similar molecular structure with long hydrocarbon "tails" (compatible
to the hydrocarbon tails of oil molecules) and ionic "heads" (compatible
to water molecules).
Right: Some
drops of soap solution from the previous experiment
are mixed with hard and with soft water. Observations
(click
here):
After shaking
of soft water (from bottle 3) with soap solution foam and a transparent
solution reamain. Hard water (lime water) from the left bottle shaked with
soap solution give no stable foam and white flakes appear.
Explanation:
In
hard water dissolved soap is transformed into non-soluble lime soap. This
cannot be properly removed from the textiles.