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How does soap decrease surface tension?

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Have you ever tried to blow a bubble with pure water? It won't work. There is a common misconception that water does not have the necessary surface tension to maintain a bubble and that soap increases it, but in fact soap decreases the pull of surface tension - typically to about a third that of plain water. read more

Soap disrupts the cohesion of water molecules, allowing the water to soak into clothes in a laundry machine. Hard water, however, is somewhat resistant to the action of soap. The additional molecules that make the water hard tend to clump together with soap molecules and drag them out of the solution, leaving surface tension more intact. read more

In the end you substituted water molecules with hydrocarbon chains which leads to a lower surface tension. If you increase the concentration of surfactant, they start to form micelles in the water (and not on the surface). read more

The surface sort of looks like a flattened soccer ball the hydrocarbon clusters areas of low surface tension and also capable of dissolving oils, held together by the seams, water surrounded by the hydrophilic ends of the micelle[that's what these clusters are called]. the ratios of the areas determines the surface tension. read more

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