Surfactant

By definition, surfactants are substances that reduce surface tension water. As a rule, we use this designation for compounds that have a long non-polar chain to which the polar group is attached. Thanks to this, they allow the mixing of non-polar substances (e.g. fats) with polar ones (e.g. water) – in the presence of surfactants they are formed micella.

According to the character of the polar group, surfactants are divided into anionic (e.g. soaps, i.e. salts of fatty acids, or Sodium dodecylsulphate), cationic (They are, for example, part of fabric softeners) and non-ionic (e.g. Triton X-100 or Tween 20).