Soap & submarines.

[Finless]

Whilst playing submarines in the bath this morning and pondering my navel which is not part of a submarine but is fairly close to my periscope I recollected a comment by Ms Finless, from 20 years ago, concerning the soap.

I’ll refrain from mentioning the joke about the nuns in the bath and “Where’s the soap” / “Yes it does doesn’t it” as it does not work because you should really type “Wears the soap” which kind of takes away the initial confusion about whether this is funny or not.

Whilst indulging in a bath many years ago I was taken to task for leaving the soap in the water because it would “melt”. I smugly informed her that soap does not melt but that it dissolves. After pondering on that statement I then announced that maybe it did not dissolve but “went into solution”. The conversation was soon forgotten caused be an unexpected displacement of air    from the submarine in an abortive attempt to submerge further.

This then brings me on to the matter of Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men sat in the bath together when Bill farted and Ben said “2 o’clock” (I translated the reply into English for you).

Anyway, the point of all this waffle is, what is the correct verb to describe what happens to a bar of soap when it is left in water. Dissolve?

[Juz]

<font color='#32CD32'>If I recall correctly from all those years ago....... colloids and emulsions lesson in Chemistry............. I think soap forms an emulsion with water (that's how it works to remove oils etc) so I guess it 'emulsifies'.

Juz

[Dr Stevil]

Hmmm... I like your pedantry Bryan. After consultation with colleagues, there are a couple of things for consideration.  

First, how soap works on a chemical level. To make soap, you need to combine an acid and a base (or alkali). The acid is fat (fatty acids and triglycerides), and the base is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The mixture causes the fatty acids to separate from the triglycerides and fuse with the hydroxide ions, forming a salt that we call &quot;soap.&quot; Soap has two main functions, decrease water's surface tension
and binds to dirt, oil and bacteria. It can do these things because one part of the soap molecule is hydrophilic (water-binding) and the other is hydrophobic (water-repellent). The hydrophilic part allows the hydrophobic fatty acids to come into contact with other hydrophobic substances, such as the dirt on the surface that is being cleaned. When the dirt adheres to the soap's fatty acids, it becomes encapsulated in droplets known as micelles with the hydrophillic tails to the outside and hydrophobic tails to the inside.

So.... I'd say Juz is on the right track with colloids and emulsions and I believe the correct term for these is that they &quot;disperse&quot;

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Juz @ Mar. 15 2004,11:49)]If I recall correctly from all those years ago....... colloids and emulsions lesson in Chemistry............. I think soap forms an emulsion with water (that's how it works to remove oils etc) so I guess it 'emulsifies'.

Juz

Juz,

Thanks very much.

That question has popped into my mind on and off over the last 20 years - weird how the mind works. Well, mine, anyway.

Bryan

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Steve W @ Mar. 15 2004,12:10)]First, how soap works on a chemical level. To make soap, you need to combine an acid and a base (or alkali). The acid is fat (fatty acids and triglycerides), and the base is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The mixture causes the fatty acids to separate from the triglycerides and fuse with the hydroxide ions, forming a salt that we call &quot;soap.&quot; Soap has two main functions, decrease water's surface tension
and binds to dirt, oil and bacteria. It can do these things because one part of the soap molecule is hydrophilic (water-binding) and the other is hydrophobic (water-repellent). The hydrophilic part allows the hydrophobic fatty acids to come into contact with other hydrophobic substances, such as the dirt on the surface that is being cleaned. When the dirt adheres to the soap's fatty acids, it becomes encapsulated in droplets known as micelles with the hydrophillic tails to the outside and hydrophobic tails to the inside.

So.... I'd say Juz is on the right track with colloids and emulsions and I believe the correct term for these is that they &quot;disperse&quot;

Wow.

To go through all that and it only gets to &quot;disperse&quot;. It deserves a word like emulsifies, or better.  

[Diving Dude]

kin 'ell Finless, l'd hate to be there when you and Robin are together both talking bo**ocks.

[bang-on]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (diving dude @ Mar. 15 2004,22:22)]kin 'ell Finless, l'd hate to be there when you and Robin are together both talking bo**ocks.

<font color='#0000FF'>dude,
ken priceless!!!

cheers
barrie

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (diving dude @ Mar. 15 2004,22:22)]kin 'ell Finless, l'd hate to be there when you and Robin are together both talking bo**ocks.

FFS. I set out on a quest for scientific knowledge and end up with verbal (well, typed) abuse.

I hope you get horn rot!!

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (bang-on @ Mar. 15 2004,23:14)]ken priceless!!!

Who's he, then? &nbsp;