surfactant
Origin of surfactant
1Words Nearby surfactant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use surfactant in a sentence
In addition, the surfactants allow for water to better clean glasses without leaving spots and help glasses sparkle more.
The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes | by Max Blau and Lylla Younes, photography by Kathleen Flynn, special to ProPublica | December 20, 2021 | ProPublicaThe surfactant vessel stands near dozens of other ingredients, each waiting to be used in a recipe for different household cleaning products.
The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes | by Max Blau and Lylla Younes, photography by Kathleen Flynn, special to ProPublica | December 20, 2021 | ProPublicaWhile marketed as a gentle makeup remover, the low concentration of surfactants within it mean it functions essentially the same as soapy water, without the need for any additional water to remove residue.
The researchers then reduced the water’s surface tension with a surfactant to make it more difficult for the ants to float.
Fire ants build little syphons out of sand to feed without drowning | Aayushi Pratap | October 20, 2020 | Science NewsDifferent types of surfactants are often added to pesticides to help them spread better, the researchers say, so ants could potentially be exposed to similar conditions in the wild as they were in the lab.
Fire ants build little syphons out of sand to feed without drowning | Aayushi Pratap | October 20, 2020 | Science News
British Dictionary definitions for surfactant
/ (sɜːˈfæktənt) /
Also called: surface-active agent a substance, such as a detergent, that can reduce the surface tension of a liquid and thus allow it to foam or penetrate solids; a wetting agent
having the properties of a surfactant
Origin of surfactant
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for surfactant
[ sər-făk′tənt ]
A substance that, when dissolved in water, lowers the surface tension of the water and increases the solubility of organic compounds. Surfactants are used in inks to increase the effects of capillary action; detergents are surfactants that help remove organic compounds from a substance by making them dissolve more readily in the water in which the substance is washed.
A substance composed of lipoprotein that is secreted by the alveolar cells of the lung and maintains the stability of pulmonary tissue by reducing the surface tension of fluids that coat the lung.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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