Science · 6 pages · 12 min
How an emulsion holds oil in water
A helper molecule coats tiny oil droplets so they cannot easily merge into one layer.
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From the opening
An emulsion holds oil in water as tiny droplets, with an emulsifier stationed on the surface of each drop. The oil is still oil, not dissolved, and the coating slows the merging that would rebuild a separate layer. The opening covers why the helper molecule has two ends, how droplets are kept from merging, and why milk looks white.
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Inside
- Why the helper molecule has two ends
- How droplets are kept from merging
- Why milk looks white
- What it means for a sauce to break
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Surfactant molecules at the oil-water interface
- Oil-in-water emulsions such as milk and mayonnaise