Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
When I mix pernod with water it turns cloudy. Why?
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Chem question
- Thread starter Jeff Grossman
- Start date
Chris Weber
Chris Weber
I'm not a chemist, but I do know how to find Wikipedia.
"When water or ice is added to ouzo, which is clear in color, it turns milky white; this is because anethole, the essential oil of anise, is soluble in alcohol but not in water. Diluting the spirit causes it to separate creating an emulsion, whose fine droplets scatter the light. This process is called louching, and is also found while preparing absinthe."
"When water or ice is added to ouzo, which is clear in color, it turns milky white; this is because anethole, the essential oil of anise, is soluble in alcohol but not in water. Diluting the spirit causes it to separate creating an emulsion, whose fine droplets scatter the light. This process is called louching, and is also found while preparing absinthe."
Steve Edmunds
Steve Edmunds
tres louch, non?
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Thank you, Chris.
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Thank you, Chris.
Basically, what Chris said. Alcohol dissolves essential oils far better than water does, so when you dilute the ouzo, etc. with water, those previously soluble oils fall out of solution but do so in a way that gives rise to a fine dispersion of oil droplets in water, aka an emulsion. FWIW, a more familiar example is milk, where the white color arises from the emulsified proteins and butterfat.
Mark Lipton
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Thank you, Mark.