Products from Oil

Vegetable Oils - Emulsions.

Vegetable oils do not dissolve in water.
Oil will float on top of water because it is less dense
but tiny little drops (droplets) of oil can be dispersed in water
to form a mixture called an emulsion.

An emulsion is thicker (has a higher viscosity) than either oil or water.
Examples of emulsions in food are ice cream, milk and salad dressings.
Emulsions are also used to make cosmetics and paints.

An emulsion can be made just by shaking oil and water together.
Shaking the two together vigorously breaks up the oil into droplets
and the droplets become scattered (dispersed) throughout the water.

Emulsion of Oil Droplets in Water

When you stop shaking, the oil and water will separate in a little time
and the oil will float back up to the surface of the water.
You can make the oil droplets stay in the water for a longer time
(called making the emulsion more stable) by using an emulsifier.

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