alcohols like glycols decreases surface tension of water as surfactants does.
so alcohols are surfactants or not?
do alcohols forms micelles?
what is the difference between alcohols and surfactants totally?
Ethylene glycol is not a surfactant, but it does have a lower surface tension than water. When the two are mixed, the surface tension of the mixture will be some value between the surface tensions of pure water and pure ethylene glycol. However it's difficult to predict what exactly it would be.
Please go through the attachments to know more about the effect of alcohols on surface tension.
Hope this helps!
Thanks
Dear Mr. Motamed
No, they do not form micelles because the structure of alcohol is different from surfactants. If you add alcohol to a surfactant solution, it can affect the CMC of this solution.
Alcohols with a hydrophobic chain (for example octanol) are surface active. As the concentration increases the surface tension is reduced (similar to surfactants). However, instead of a critical micelle concentration there is a solubility limit. If more alcohol is added, it separates as an alcohol-rich liquid phase.
Alcohols are not considered to surfactants because they do not, by themselves, form micelles. They can, however, form mixed micelles with surfactants.
Ethylene glycol does not have a hydrophobic group. Compared with surfactants it will have only have a very small effect on surface tension.
@Dennis John Miller: Thanks for your answer. it's very useful
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Biochemistry
- Biochemical Techniques
- Analytical Chemistry
- pH