How do micelles enable soaps to function effectively in cleaning oily stains from clothes?
They surround and trap non-polar substances, making them soluble in water
A soap molecule has a long non-polar hydrocarbon tail and a polar ionic head. In water, many soap molecules arrange themselves into tiny clusters called micelles, with the non-polar tails pointing inwards and the polar heads facing the surrounding water.
Oily and greasy stains are non-polar, so they cannot mix with water directly. The tails of the micelle grip the oil droplet at the centre while the polar heads keep the outside of the cluster soluble in water. The trapped droplet is then lifted off the fabric and carried away when the water is rinsed. Soaps do not chemically break the oil, do not coat the fabric with a hydrophobic layer, and do not raise the pH to precipitate the oil — they work by emulsifying it inside micelles.
Hence, the answer is: They surround and trap non-polar substances, making them soluble in water.
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