What purpose does ammonia lauryl sulfate serve as a surfactor
1 answer:
Answer:
See below
Step-by-step explanation:
Ammonium lauryl sulfate has the structural formula CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂OSO₂O⁻ NH₄⁺.
The long nonpolar hydrocarbon chain and the ionic sulfate end group make it a surfactant.
The ionic end tends to dissolve in water, but the nonpolar chain does not. This makes the compound an excellent <em>foaming agent,</em> so it is used in many shampoos and toothpastes.
The molecules form <em>micelles</em> in water, small spherical shapes with the polar heads outside, facing the water, and the nonpolar tails are inside.
They reduce the surface tension or the water so that, when you brush your teeth or shampoo your hair, the air bubbles are stable and do not break.
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