Mr. Scienceman

Our man, Scienceman, has been one busy lab-coated crusader. Seventh’s grime-fighting superhero has fired up the Factmobile and left his super secret research lair deep beneath Explain Manor to do battle with the forces of eco-evil. Whether it’s banishing dangerous chemicals from the local water supply or being profiled in a leading industry publication, Scienceman is everywhere. Chemical criminals beware!

Dear Scienceman,

Where do bubbles come from?

-- C.L., Foam, MT

Dear Cheryl:

To make a bubble you need a material that, when spread in a thin film, won't pull itself into a tiny drop (like water pulling itself into a bead on a waxed surface). This tendency to pull into a drop is called surface tension, and water has a high surface tension.

Adding a surfactant (SURFaceACTive AgeNT) to water reduces the surface tension so a bubble can form without collapsing itself into a drop. Reducing the surface tension of water also allows the water to mix with oil and grease, which is why surfactants are used for cleaning!

I hope this answer was helpful!

--Scienceman