When it comes to getting along, at times, humans are like two peas in a pod. This means they hand out and get along pretty fine with each other. Some people at the same time are like tom and jerry. If you have ever seen tom and jerry, you know that they two don’t get along very well. Tom and Jerry are just like water and oil; they don’t mix!
You might be wondering why oil and water don’t mix? Did water and oil had a huge fight like million years ago that made them hate each other so much? Well, no, as far as we know, water and oil have never had a fight. They just don’t mix, and today, we’ll tell you why.
Why water and oil don’t mix?
Molecules in water are polar molecules. You might be wondering what it means? It means one end of the molecule has a negative charge and the other end has a positive charge. On the other hand, molecules of oil are non-polar.
Have you ever tried to dissolve salt in water? Or sugar or coffee grounds in the water? If you have, then you know that they mix easily with water because they have polar molecules. Hence, they are easily able to bond with the water molecules.
However, molecules that are non-polar only mix well with other molecules that are non-polar. Now this explains to us why oil doesn’t mix with water. Their molecules aren’t able to make a bond.
So, what happens when we try to mix water and oil? While the oil molecules attract each other, the water molecules just stick together. This causes water and oil to create two different layers. Water molecules pack themselves closer, so they always sink to the bottom, and that leaves oil sitting on top of the water.
Have you ever shaken a bottle that has both water and oil? If so, then you know that these two do mix for a short time. You will be wondering why that happens? It’s because shaking the bottled caused emulsion. That means you forced both the liquids to mix with each other. However, that forceful mixing doesn’t last for any longer time! If you look at the bottle again after some time, you’ll find both of them separated once again.
There is a way by which you can mix water and oil for a long duration. All you need to do is, add an emulsifier. An emulsifier is a molecule that has one polar end, and the other one is a non-polar end. Eggs yolks are the most common emulsifiers. Soap can also work as an emulsifier.
Final words
Now you know why the water and oil don’t mix. It’s all because they have different molecules in them, which don’t let them mix. And you can mix them either by forcefully mixing them well that lasts for just a couple of minutes. And the other way is by adding an emulsifier.
