the word for Sunday 14.03.2010 is MULTIPHASIC LIQUID

Today's word is Multiphashas liqiud. One reason l am going to research this word, is because l heard it being used on the radio and wasn't sure what they meant.  I never did science at school, so am very ignorent of these matters. After reading about this word,( which believe me, l found hard!) l decided that it meant, it was when an organic solvent (oil) and an aqueous phase(water) mix. This bought to mind the cigarette l saw this morning. This was just floating undeneath the surface of a mutiphasic liquid! In other words, a mixture of water and in this case petrol, which formed a film of swirling coloured puddle.

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Multiphasic liquid

A multiphasic liquid is a mixture consisting of more than twoimmiscible liquid phases. Biphasic mixtures consisting of two immiscible phases are very common and usually consist of an organic solvent and anaqueous phase ("oil and water"). Multiphasic liquids are rare and only triphasic (three phases) and tetraphasic (four phases) are known. Thelargest number of immiscible phases obtained is eight.

Multiphasic liquids can be used for selective liquid-liquid extractions or for decorative purposes, e.g. in cosmetics.

While it is possible to get multilayered phases by layering nonpolar and aqueous phases of decreasing densities on top of each other, these phases will not separate after mixing like true multiphasic liquids.