Oil and Water Mix and Un-Mix on Demand

Oil and water can for the first time be mixed and separated on demand thanks to a new, reversible surfactant.

The liquid molecule could prove invaluable in mitigating the environmental damage caused by oil spills, such as the one currently spreading along the coasts of Lebanon and Syria.

Such a chemical could also simplify commercial oil extraction from currently inaccessible deposits, its designers say. And it would prove equally valuable in the food and cosmetics industries, simplifying processes and products which rely on the mixing or separation of oily and watery components.

The genius of the new surfactant lies in its reversibility. Unlike existing ones, it can be switched on or off repeatedly. The switches are very simple too: carbon dioxide and air.