What makes soap create bubbles

Why do you think you need detergent in every solution? And to the "Corn Syrup" cup, add one tablespoon of corn syrup. What is the consistency of the glycerin and corn syrup? Does one seem more viscous thick and sticky than the other, or do they have about the same viscosity?

Mix the contents of the "Glycerin" and "Corn Syrup" cups. Try to catch the bubble on your wand and time how long the bubble lasts before it pops. This can be difficult to do, so you may need to practice it first. Also, it might be helpful to have another person time you. Calculate the average bubble life span for each solution. To do this, add the recorded times for each bubble type separately, then divide each total by the number of times you recorded that bubble for example, if your "Detergent Only" bubble times were 5.

Which solution makes bubbles that last the longest? Which solution makes the shortest-lived bubbles? Why do you think this is? Did some solutions make larger bubbles than others? You can try this activity again, using different amounts of glycerin or corn syrup in the solutions.

How little is too little, and how much is too much to add? Can you make a bubble solution that results in bubbles that last longer than the ones in the original activity? Try twisting pipe cleaners into different shapes, such as stars, squares or triangles. What shape are the bubbles made from these differently shaped pipe cleaner wands?

Observations and results Did the solutions with glycerin or corn syrup produce bubbles that lasted longer? Did the solution with glycerin make the longest-lasting bubbles of all? Detergent lowers the surface tension of water enough so that bubbles can form.

A bubble formed from a solution with water and detergent is a spherical layer of water molecules that is surrounded on either side by a layer of detergent molecules. Beyond acting as foaming agents, these ingredients also function as surfactants. A surfactant acts to reduce the surface tension of water, and it can break up oil or sebum on the skin, allowing the dirt to be washed away.

To understand exactly how the bubbles form, though, requires a slightly more complicated explanation. Consider a glass of water. Think of it like a big party where everyone really likes each other.

Inside the glass, all of the water molecules are grouped together because they're equally attracted to each other. The molecules at the surface, however, are at the edge of the party. They don't have any molecules above them to hang with, so they hold on tight to the molecules at their sides.

The result is surface tension. Soap molecules are party people, too - but they're not like water molecules, they like to mingle. On one end, they're attracted to water.

But the other end is attracted to air and the stuff that makes us dirty like oil, grease and grime. So when you put soap in water, the ends of the soap molecules that are attracted to it latch on right away and the other ends stick straight up in the air. Any soap molecules trapped underneath will fight their way to the surface and eventually you end up with three layers: a layer of soap molecules, a layer of water and another layer of soap molecules pushing themselves away from the main body of water underneath.

The solution is mostly water, but the soap is definitely required. So, the soap must be providing something important. To understand why large round bubbles form and last in a soap and water solution, but not in pure water, we must think about what is happening at the molecular level. Water molecules are attracted to each other very strongly water has high surface tension which means that they will not stretch apart to form large bubbles.

Soap lowers the surface tension of water, allowing the bubbles to form. Soap molecules are long chains of atoms. One end of the chain is able to slip between the water molecules scientists say that part of the soap molecule is hydrophilic , while the other end tends to stay outside of the water molecules that part is hydrophobic. Because part of the soap molecule is able to push water molecules apart, soap lowers the surface tension of water and allows bubbles to form and last.

Some bubble recipes contain more than just soap and water. Glycerin and corn syrup are frequently recommended.

Well, bubbles pop as the water in the film evaporates. Both glycerin and corn syrup can help prevent the evaporation. After making the bubble solution, blow some bubbles.