Question

make a prediction
why do some substances dissolve in water while others do not?
the fact that water and oil do not mix plays a big part in your task of finding a molecule to clean wildlife after the deepwater horizon oil spill.
because water and oil do not mix, or are insoluble, you cant wash oil off with water.
therefore, the molecule youre looking for should be one that...
can mix with oil
can mix with water
can mix with both oil and water
can mix with neither oil nor water
think about when your hands get covered with peanut butter. can you just wash it off with water?

Explanation:

To clean oil from wildlife, the molecule needs to interact with both oil (to dissolve it) and water (to be washed away). "Like dissolves like" principle: polar substances (water) dissolve polar/ionic, non - polar (oil) dissolve non - polar. A molecule that can mix with both (amphiphilic) would bridge the two.

Answer:

C. Can mix with both oil and water