Question
Explain: Mechanism of micelle formation.
✓
Answer
- The molecules of soap are sodium or potassium salts of long chain carboxylic acids.
- Two ends of soap molecule possess different properties.
- One end is hydrophilic and it dissolves in water, while the other end is hydrophobic and it dissolves in hydrocarbons.
- When soap is at the surface of water, the hydrophobic ‘tail’ of soap will not be soluble in water and the soap will align along the surface of water with the ionic end in water and the hydrocarbon ‘tail’ protruding out of water.
[Formation of micelles]
- Inside water, these molecules have a particular orientation that keeps the hydrocarbon portion out of the water.
- This happens due to the formation of clusters of molecules in which the hydrophobic tails are in the interior part of the cluster and the ionic ends are on the surface of the cluster.
- This formation is called a micelle.
- Soap in the form of a micelle collects the oily dirt in the centre of it and is able to clean.
- These micelles exist in solution as a colloid.
- Micelles do not cluster to precipitate because of ion-ion repulsion.
- Thus, the dirt suspended in the micelles is also easily rinsed away.
- The soap micelles are large enough to scatter light, hence a soap solution appears cloudy.
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