Question

Write two applications of emulsification.

Describe the applications of emulsions.

Answer 1

1. Many pharmaceuticals such as lotions, creams, ointments, and several oily drugs are prepared as emulsions (oil-in-water or water-in-oil types) to facilitate easy absorption by the body. Similarly, many cosmetics are also sold as emulsions.
2. The concentration of sulphide ore by froth flotation process involves the treatment of finely pulverized ore with an oil emulsion. When air is bubbled through the mixture, ore particles attach to the foam formed and are carried to the surface for collection.
3. Soaps and detergents use the emulsifying properties to wash clothes and crockery by emulsifying greasy dirt and carrying it away in the water used for washing.
4. Digestion of fats in the intestine is facilitated by emulsification, where fats react with alkaline intestinal secretions, forming sodium soaps that emulsify the rest of the fat, helping digestive enzymes to act efficiently and digest fats easily.