A standard commercial synthetic surfactant is discovered to easily form rigid micelles in a pure aqu — Surface Chemistry Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) relies entirely on the delicate thermodynamic balance of the surfactant. Increasing the bulk length of the non-polar hydrophobic tail massively increases the molecule's intense natural repulsion for water, thereby driving the monomers to aggressively aggregate into micelles much easier, strictly at a vastly lower threshold concentration.