In molecular terms, describe how emulsifiers are able to mix polar and non-polar sunstances together.?
Answer:
They change the bonding properties of the substances so they can combine. :)
Emulsifiers are kind of like detergents, or soap. The way soap works, is it's a long molecule where one end is polar and the other end is non-polar. Grease and dirt are non-polar, while water is very polar. Polar and non-polar things generally don't mix well, which is why washing grease off your hand with just water doesn't work very well. But if you have a soap or a detergent, the polar end of the soap molecules stick to the polar water, and the nonpolar end of the soap molecules stick to the dirt, therefore bringing the dirt and water together - which is why you can then wash dirt and grease off your hands. The soap acts as a bridge that brings the two things together. Oil and water don't mix for the same reason; oil is very non-polar. But if you add an emulsifier to them, you can get the two to mix in an emulsion. So the emulsifier doesn't chemically change the polar or non-polar substances, it just acts as a bridge and holds them together.
Good luck!
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