Is Mayonnaise A Heterogeneous Mixture

An egg, oil, that's all yous need to brand a mayonnaise. But how, starting from such ingredients, is information technology possible to achieve a creamy white sauce that is stable over time?

Water and oil practice non mix, except in mayonnaise!

Experience mixing h2o and oil in a tightly closed jam jar. Yous can shake the jar for hours, the water will e'er separate from the oil in seconds.

These 2 liquids do not similar each other and therefore do not mix. They are said to exist immiscible.

What is the link with mayonnaise?

To make mayonnaise, you lot need oil and egg yolks. Eggs are rich in water. In fact, the egg white consists of 87% water while the yolk contains l%.

And so, a priori, if you mix the ingredients, information technology should happen the same as with h2o and oil, no mixing. Just this is not what we notice. The chemistry of mayonnaise works thanks to the egg yolk which contains astonishing molecules.

The magical powers of the egg yolk.

Egg yolk contains lecithin. It is a molecule that has one end capable of binding to water, and another end capable of binding to oil. Chemists telephone call information technology an "emulsifying agent".

When the oil is vigorously mixed with the egg yolk, pocket-size microscopic drops of oil are created which are distributed in the egg yolk water. And information technology's the lecithin that keeps it all together without the oil drops separating from the egg yolk. Mayonnaise is said to be an emulsion because it is made upwards of oil droplets stabilized in water.

To the naked center, the mayonnaise looks homogeneous, yous tin can't see its piffling drops. But if you lot accept a powerful microscope, you will run into small drops i,000 times smaller than a millimeter. Mayonnaise is, therefore, a heterogeneous mixture.

Listen to us on your favorite radio!