surface-active agent

[ sur-fis-ak-tiv ]

/ ˈsɜr fɪsˌæk tɪv /

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noun Chemistry.

any substance that when dissolved in water or an aqueous solution reduces its surface tension or the interfacial tension between it and another liquid.

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

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Also called surfactant.

Words nearby surface-active agent

suretyship, surf, surface, surface acoustic wave, surface-active, surface-active agent, surface analgesia, surface anatomy, surface boundary layer, surface condenser, surface density

Example sentences from the Web for surface-active agent

Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
My agent at the time sent that tape to SNL and then they asked me to come in for an audition.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I could complain about how, two out of eight episodes in, Agent Carter is in no hurry to introduce its real villain.
Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ Stomps on the Patriarchy|Melissa Leon|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lalo said he reported the kidnapping to his ICE handlers, which was confirmed by a former federal agent familiar with the case.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The more resources and education society becomes equipped with, the fewer stories like yours will surface.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That the inconstancy of such notices, in cases equally important, proves they did not proceed from any such agent.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
First a shower of shells dropping all along the lower ridges and out over the surface of the Bay.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Some of those halls that Mr. Meadow Mouse mentioned ran right out beneath the surface of the garden.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
We must have motif first, then technique to adapt and adjust expression and to develop facility in the active agents.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
It depends upon the fact that bile acids lower surface tension.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

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