Micellisation
Michael J. Leach
Chemists call
certain chemicals
‘surfactant molecules’.
When cast adrift
in water
(an aqueous
solution),
these chemicals
randomly move
amidst myriad encircling
H2O molecules.
Eventually, they come to a critical concentration.
Fully immersed & dis - persed
in H2O,
the separate
surfactant
molecules
start forming close-knit spheres
called micelles.
This is because:
there’s a part there’s a part
of each surfactant molecule of each surfactant molecule
with this innate fear with this innate love
of water. of water.
Their hydrophobic tails
stay away from the water
while their hydrophilic heads
face outwards
fearlessly.
Aggregated
in their social spheres,
the surfactants start to reduce
the tension at the water’s surface.
Spontaneously,
they emulsify
by welcoming
insoluble molecules
adrift in the aqueous
solution
into their social
spheres.
These supramolecular surfactants form emulsions
then proceed to perform fantastic feats
in the name of health care, cleaning
& myriad other applications.
For instance,
they emerge
in household detergents
in the realistic hope
of one day
spiriting
insoluble molecules—
oils & waxes—
away.
‘Micellisation’ first appeared in Consilience.
The science behind the piece:
Micellisation is a dynamic phenomenon whereby individual surfactants — molecules comprising water-loving (hydrophilic) heads and water-fearing (hydrophobic) tails — aggregate in aqueous environments to form multi-molecule (supramolecular) assemblies called ‘micelles’. Micellisation is an act of emergence: the emergence of micelles. In an individual micelle, the hydrophilic heads face outwards to protect the hydrophobic tails from the surrounding water (H₂O) molecules. This provides micelle cores in which poorly water-soluble substances (e.g. oils and waxes) can be sequestered, leading to the formation of emulsions. I learned about micellisation while studying pharmaceutics as part of a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at La Trobe University, Bendigo. I find it to be a fascinating and inherently poetic topic. This dynamic phenomenon occurs within a range of commercial products, from aqueous injections of vitamins A, D, E and K to various disinfectants and detergents.
Listen to Michael read the poem: