Surfactants are compounds that reduce the surface tension between two different substances, typically between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. The word “surfactant” is a contraction of “surface active agent.” Surfactants have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) tail, which allows them to interact with both water and oil.…
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more immiscible liquids, where one liquid is dispersed throughout the other in small droplets. The dispersed liquid is known as the dispersed phase, while the continuous liquid is known as the continuous phase. The most common example of an emulsion is oil and water, where the oil…
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance is dispersed in another substance, but not dissolved. The particles in a colloid are larger than molecules but smaller than the particles in a suspension. The properties of colloids are different from those of solutions or suspensions, and they have unique characteristics that make them useful…
The Freundlich adsorption isotherm is an empirical equation used to describe the relationship between the amount of a gas or solute that is adsorbed onto a solid surface at a given temperature and pressure, and the concentration of the gas or solute in the surrounding liquid or gas phase. The equation is expressed as: q…
Adsorption is a process by which molecules or atoms from a gas, liquid, or dissolved solid adhere to the surface of a solid material. The two main types of adsorption are physisorption and chemisorption. Physisorption, also known as physical adsorption or van der Waals adsorption, is a type of adsorption that occurs due to weak…
