Question

Which term best describes the substances that cause oil and water molecules in salad dressing to interact and mix?
A.large, polar molecules
B.small, nonpolar molecules
C.small, polar molecules
D.large, nonpolar molecules

Answer 1

Oils are a type of fat, which are composed of long molecules called fatty acids. Water is a polar molecule. The oil and water separate because the oil contains hydrophobic molecules meaning they are scared of water so they want to get as far away as possible and therefore oil is non polar because if it was polar then it would be attracted to the water