Oil and water don't mix because of the large interfacial tension between the two liquids. It is hard to see how removing dissolved gas from the water phase will change this.
My experience is that any discussion of 'hydrophobic forces' is usually a more complicated and somewhat misleading way of describing what can be better explained by electrostatic and van der Waals interactions between molecules.
The argument that the emulsion stabilization is due to the electrostatic repulsion does not hold up - there should be no special tendency for hydroxyl ions to adsorb on the oil surface.
As others have said, the proof will be the repeatability of these experiments by others.
Slashdot Mirror
My experience is that any discussion of 'hydrophobic forces' is usually a more complicated and somewhat misleading way of describing what can be better explained by electrostatic and van der Waals interactions between molecules.
The argument that the emulsion stabilization is due to the electrostatic repulsion does not hold up - there should be no special tendency for hydroxyl ions to adsorb on the oil surface.
As others have said, the proof will be the repeatability of these experiments by others.
Paul (www.surfactants.net)