this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
38 points (97.5% liked)

Ask Science

10279 readers
6 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

My kid got a little round box of soapy solution at the fairground with a wire loop to blow bubbles with. She was pretty excited with it for few minutes, then lost interest. Kept it on her desk when she got back home.

The next morning, she tried to blow some more bubbles with it, but the soapy solution appeared to be as dead as plain water, i.e. zero bubbles came out when she tried with the wire loop.

What kills the "bubbleness" of soapy solution over time ? The concentration of the remaining solution should've remained the same since the box was closed shut overnight.

top 5 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago

That's a really interesting question, and questions like this were areas of active research in the earliest days of tissue culture; or specifically how to do the opposite, some times: how to effectively get the properties of soap without the bubbles.

Google tween 20, which is a product made for this specific purpose. However, I do know that in a lab setting, it maintain its properties a deal longer that 24 hrs.

I think your answer would depend on the nature of the soap solution used to create the bubbles. My guess would be that something is being oxydized, and with exposure to oxygen, the molecule responsible for the bubbles is reduced and not as effective.

[–] hitstun@fedia.io 14 points 3 days ago

The best bubble solutions aren't stable. The water part of the bubble mix might have evaporated some, and surfectants alone doesn't do much without the surface tension of water holding things together

Try adding a little more water to the solution and stirring. Also, make sure the air where you're blowing bubbles isn't too dry.

I don't know for sure. My only credential here is that the #bubbles tag is mostly my posts.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 11 points 3 days ago

When I was a kid, my folks used to put what I believe was water and dish detergent in sealed plastic containers, and it'd be fine months later. So it's definitely not true of all bubble solution.

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Since there are many great answers already, thinking of other different ideas

Does shaking the box help? In which case it's possible something separated

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 7 points 3 days ago

This is a fascinating question. I flipped through my book on soap bubbles and soapy solutions which is actually a great book but it doesn’t have anything on deterioration of bubbly solutions.

My conjecture is some interaction with oxygen, but I can’t be sure without any information on its composition.