This tension is the physical manifestation of the imbalance of intermolecular forces at the boundary between the two liquids. Instead of mixing, the water molecules prefer to stay bonded to each other, effectively excluding the oil.
How Entropy Drives the Disorder in Oil and Water Mixtures
Oil molecules cannot form these favorable bonds with water molecules. This creates a kind of "skin" that resists the oil breaking into smaller droplets.
This asymmetry allows water molecules to form strong attractions, known as hydrogen bonds, with other polar substances and ions. Consequently, the system minimizes its energy by keeping the substances segregated.
How Entropy Maximizes Disorder in Oil and Water Mixtures
" Polar solvents are effective at dissolving other polar substances because their charges can interact favorably. Nonpolar substances, however, lack these charge interactions.
More About Why do oil and water not mix
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