Why don’t oil and water mix? – John Pollard
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-don-t-oil-and-water-mix-john-pollard
Salt dissolves in water; oil does not. But why? You can think of that glass of water as a big, bumpin’ dance party where the water molecules are always switching dance partners — and they’d much rather dance with a salt ion. John Pollard explains how two chemistry principles, energetics and entropy, rule the dance floor.
Lesson by John Pollard, animation by Andrew Foerster.



![Private: [ID: hkOtN46hgDw] Youtube Automatic](https://myaiu.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/private-id-hkotn46hgdw-youtube-a-236x133.jpg)
![[ID: qG7IsJABD-c] Youtube Automatic](https://myaiu.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/id-qg7isjabd-c-youtube-automatic-236x133.jpg)
![[ID: hWN0_2lOKlU] Youtube Automatic](https://myaiu.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/id-hwn02loklu-youtube-automatic-236x133.jpg)
![[ID: D1DytTBnKKk] Youtube Automatic](https://myaiu.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/id-d1dyttbnkkk-youtube-automatic-236x133.jpg)
![[ID: SSGExuY9yns] Youtube Automatic](https://myaiu.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/id-ssgexuy9yns-youtube-automatic-236x133.jpg)
![[ID: 8nBlEIUq6WU] Youtube Automatic](https://myaiu.tv/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/id-8nbleiuq6wu-youtube-automatic-236x133.jpg)