Soaps and Emulsions Flashcards
How are Soaps produced?
Soaps are produce through alkaline hydrolysis of fats and oils.
How does the structure of a soap allow soaps to clean oil stains?
The tails of a soap molecule are non-polar and hydrophobic, so they embed themselves inside droplets of oil when in the presence of both oil and water, leaving the hydrophilic and polar heads of the soap molecules outside of the droplets. Because the heads of soap molecules are all polar, this causes head-surrounded oil droplets to repel each other, separating droplets of oil and allowing easy cleaning.
What is an emulsion?
An emulsion is a mixture of two liquids with different densities.
What are emulsifiers?
Emulsifiers are substances added to emulsions to stop them from separating into layers.
Why do emulsions separate into layers?
Because of the difference in density of the liquids in the mixture, the emulsion will split into layers of liquids with equal densities over time.
Why are emulsifiers added to food?
Emulsifiers stop oils and water from separating allowing for a smooth emulsion, which is more enjoyable in our food than if it was separated by layers.
What property of emulsions makes them useful in foods?
Emulsions are more viscous than both the water or oil that they contain.
How can an edible emulsifier be created?
Reacting edible oils with glycerol produces an emulsifier safe for use in food.
What is produced when a soap is used in hard water?
Using a soap in hard water produces scum.
What is used to remove oil and grease in hard water?
To remove oil and grease in hard water we use soapless Detergents.
What does hydrolysis of a soap produce?
Hydrolysis of a soap produces three fatty acid molecules and one glycerol molecule.
What can the tail of a soap be described as?
hydrophobic/hydrophilic and polarity
The tail of a soap is hydrophobic and non-polar.
What can the head of a soap be described as (hydrophobic/hydrophilic and polarity)
The head of a soap is hydrophilic and polar.
What is hard water?
Hard water is water containing high levels of dissolved metal ions.
In Scotland, do we have hard or soft water?
In Scotland, we have soft water.
