The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
A group of organic compounds that cause foaming and serve as cleansing agents based on their surface-active properties. A detergent molecule is termed surface-active because a portion of the molecule is hydrophilic and a portion is hydrophobic. It will therefore collect at the interface of water and another medium such as a gas bubble. Bubbles are stabilized by the surface-active molecules so that when the bubbles rise to the top of the bulk liquid, they maintain their integrity and form a foam. Surface-active agents can also agglomerate by virtue of their hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature to form micelles that can dissolve, trap, and/or envelop soil particles, oil, and grease. Surface-active agents are sometimes called surfactants. Synthetic detergents are sometimes referred to as syndets.