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.

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.
                 O
                 || 
CH3(CH2)16C ---- O- Na+

bobpursley · Answer

So what effect do you think that long chain in the soap has on grease?