Oil and water are both transparent however, they lose their transparency once they are mixed together. What is the reason for this? The size of the molecules are still the same so why does the substance become cloudy?
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2$\begingroup$ An oil water mixture is an emulsion not a solution. It's white for the same reason that clouds are white even though both air and water are transparent. $\endgroup$– John RennieFeb 5, 2019 at 10:44
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$\begingroup$ yes,but why? @JohnRennie $\endgroup$– ten1oFeb 5, 2019 at 14:57
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1$\begingroup$ See: What is difference between white objects and transparent objects as far as photons are concerned?. In fact that's basically a duplicate. $\endgroup$– John RennieFeb 5, 2019 at 15:54
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1 Answer
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Although the size of the molecules are still the same, the oil (nonpolar) cannot dissolve into the water (polar), so the oil drops form inside water, which is much larger than the molecule itself. Those drops (emulsion) reflects light and causes tyndall effect.
