Soap bubbles are fun to play with, and the bubbles in carbonated beverages make them taste good. However, in a lot of manufacturing processes, the presence of bubbles, or foam, can lead to real problems. If you are trying to make a medicine, a cosmetic, paint, or some other product, the ingredients may form a lot of bubbles on the surface when they are mixed. Just imagine if you were trying to make soap! These bubbles might get trapped in the final product, or can damage the equipment you're using, so it's very important to be able to control them.
Certain types of chemicals, called defoamers, can be added to make the bubbles disappear. Many chemicals that are defoamers are oils: petroleum-based, vegetable, or silicone. They work by weakening the walls of the bubbles so that they break easily.
(Thanks to Dr. Mentore, Dr. B's colleague at Ramapo College, who suggested this topic!)
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