Question
Water does not easily remove grease from dirty hands because grease is nonpolar and water is polar; therefore they are immiscible. The addition of soap, however, results in the removal of the grease. Examine the following structure of soap and explain why soap works.
CH_3(CH_2 )_16 C-O^-Na^+
nonpolar tail Polar head sodium stearate a soap
CH_3(CH_2 )_16 C-O^-Na^+
nonpolar tail Polar head sodium stearate a soap