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What do you call this? (Topic : Emulsion)?

In the lab, we mixed ethanol, water, and oil. Thus, emulsion is observed.

We placed a few drops of the mixture and we have seen bubbles of oil in the microscope.

What do you call those bubbles? (I believe there's an exact term to call it)

2 Answers

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  • 8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    The problem here is that, although some of the oil, water and ethanol are in the right proportions

    to form a micro-emulsion, there is some free oil present, and that is what you are seeing. If

    you add slightly more ethanol, the big oil droplets will go away.

    What makes it a micro-emulsion is that there are droplets, but they are smaller than the

    wavelengths of visible light, and so appear transparent, or very slightly hazzy.

    Source(s): Fascinated by emulsions, bulk phases and everything in-between. Water-in-oil emulsions a sprcialty.
  • Paul
    Lv 5
    8 years ago

    micelles ?

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