They say that oil and water do not mix, but now scientists have discovered that under certain circumstances – it may be possible.
A new study suggests that some oily molecules which normally repel water – can be forced to dissolve in water when the two substances are squeezed together under extreme pressure.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh applied high pressure to tiny containers filled with water and methane, creating conditions similar to the intense pressure found on the ocean floor or inside the planets Uranus and Neptune.
Water-repelling substances
By compressing water and methane together, scientists have been able to gain insights into how the chemicals interact.
Methane is often used in experiments to study the properties of substances like oil that repel water – called hydrophobic molecules.
The new findings suggest it may be possible to mix other hydrophobic molecules with water in a similar way.
The study is published in the journal Science Advances.
Extreme pressure
The team squeezed methane and water molecules between two ultra-sharp diamonds and compressed them by bringing the two anvil points together.
The diamond anvil was used to apply pressures of up to 20,000 Bars – 20 times greater than the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world’s oceans.
They say that oil and water do not mix, but now scientists have discovered that under certain circumstances – it may be possible.
A new study suggests that some oily molecules which normally repel water – can be forced to dissolve in water when the two substances are squeezed together under extreme pressure.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh applied high pressure to tiny containers filled with water and methane, creating conditions similar to the intense pressure found on the ocean floor or inside the planets Uranus and Neptune.
Water-repelling substances
By compressing water and methane together, scientists have been able to gain insights into how the chemicals interact.
Methane is often used in experiments to study the properties of substances like oil that repel water – called hydrophobic molecules.
The new findings suggest it may be possible to mix other hydrophobic molecules with water in a similar way.
The study is published in the journal Science Advances.
Extreme pressure
The team squeezed methane and water molecules between two ultra-sharp diamonds and compressed them by bringing the two anvil points together.
The diamond anvil was used to apply pressures of up to 20,000 Bars – 20 times greater than the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world’s oceans.
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