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3 votes
0 answers
183 views

How do lyophilic colloids reduce surface tension?

It's given in my textbook that the surface tension of lyophilic/hydrophilic solutions is lower than water. But my intuition says, since in lyophilic solutions the interaction between a lyophilic ...
7 votes
3 answers
17k views

The entropy change during micellization

I was reviewing the thermodynamics of micelle formation from the Wikipedia page and this book. I understood most of the arguments but micellization is supposed to be an entropy driven process with a ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How do I create a transparent liquid for ferrofluid display?

Hello~ I am a media art artists working in Korea. Recently, create a kinetic artwork using ferrofluid. I need to create an artificial pond with a diameter of 3 meters. So I need a lot of suspension ...
0 votes
0 answers
184 views

What is the logic behind the terminology lyophilic and lyophobic colloids?

Its given in my text book that- Colloidal dispersions of starch,rubber,proteins etc are lyophilic colloids whereas colloidal dispersions of metals,sulphides etc are lyophobic in nature. But even ...
4 votes
1 answer
193 views

Can cationic species form micelles?

Most of the books dive into formation of micelles by soaps. They go on talking about alkyl sulphate and carboxylates, but never do they mention anything about cations. My textbook says that at ...
3 votes
0 answers
152 views

Why are critical micelle concentrations so large?

Dissolving a non-polar molecule in water incurs a free energy cost of about $10 kJ/(mol \cdot nm^2)$ (source: http://bionumbers.hms.harvard.edu/bionumber.aspx?&id=101826) The entropy gained from ...
8 votes
1 answer
647 views

The sponge isn't foaming up, why?

When I add dish soap to a sponge it is able to foam up. But if I leave the sponge alone for an hour, it doesn't foam up, not even if it is wetted. Why? The sponge should still contain dish soap an ...