They act as a bridge, surrounding the oil droplets and allowing them to be suspended in and rinsed away with water. The oxygen atom hogs the shared electrons more strongly than the hydrogen atoms, creating a partial negative charge on the oxygen side and a partial positive charge on the hydrogen side.
How Soap Creates Micelles to Oil and Water Mix
While most cooking oils and water are completely immiscible, exceptions exist in the form of emulsions. To minimize this disruption, water molecules instinctively rearrange themselves into a more ordered, cage-like structure around the oil droplets.
The "cage" of water molecules surrounding the oil is a fragile and restrictive structure. With vigorous shaking and an emulsifier like egg yolk in mayonnaise, tiny droplets of oil can be dispersed throughout water, creating a temporary, stable mixture that defies the usual separation.
How Soap Creates Micelles to Oil and Water Mix
Water is a polar molecule, meaning it has an uneven distribution of electrical charge. When introduced, the oil molecules are unable to break the strong hydrogen-bonded network of water, and the water molecules are equally unable to surround and stabilize the oil molecules, leading to phase separation.
More About Why oil doesn't mix with water
Looking at Why oil doesn't mix with water from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on Why oil doesn't mix with water can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.
