Mixing the Unmixable

markthebrewer writes "From an article in the New Scientist: Conventional wisdom every 15 year-old knows says that you can't mix oil and water without some kind of surfactant. However a team lead by Richard Pashley from the Australian National University in Canberra have done it simply by first removing all dissolved gases from the water. Apart from the obvious potential improvements in salad dressings, it could have an impact on the manufacture of everything from drugs to paint - anywhere an emulsion is required. Apparently, it will also give some insight into the mysterious 'long-range hydrophobic effect' (or why oil droplets coalesce over surprisingly long distances)." Keep in mind the usual scientific caveat: this experiment doesn't seem to have been replicated by other experimenters yet.

Comments

I know!

[burgburgburg]

It's like serving /. on IIS.

Talk about mixing the unmixable.

Re:Excuse me...

[ackthpt]

But where are these 15-year olds who know what a surfactant is? :)

They probably thought it was a smurfectant (something for removing smurfs or smurfiness.)

This story just smacks of genuine imitation science. But on a more serious note: Why would disolving oil into water make for a better salad dressing? I always thought the slight taste of balsamic vinigar here, slight tast of olive oil there, was what made dressings work, rather than some dimethylgrundge glop that tastes the same all over.

Seems like this only works for the ideal oil and ideal water, anyway. My tap water has chlorine in it, some water has fluorine ions in it, do you just whip off to Safeway and buy this special water?

On an OT note...I ran out to pick up some rice and found Zebra brand basmati rice, which is:

ISO 9002 certified (How? Perhaps the company is compliant, but why is this on the bag?)

ANSI-RAB-QMS Accredited (Again, how does this apply to the rice?)

Exported by DATA CORPORATION of Pakistan (ah, ok, so the rice is a Data product..., I'm still confused..