Why is cotton more absorbent than nylon?
The answer lies in the basic but remarkable molecular structure of cotton, nylon and water. The simple water molecule, with its one oxygen atom attached to two hydrogen atoms, causes a different action when it comes in contact with the complex molecules that make up cotton and nylon. Water has a sticky quality that comes from its molecular structure. The oxygen atom attracts electrons, giving it a slightly negative charge. The two hydrogen atoms have a slightly positive charge. The positive and negative ends make the water molecule like a magnet (dipole), which keeps water molecules together and makes the surface of a water drop slightly elastic. It also means that water molecules will bond easily with molecules with an opposite charge that come nearby. Cotton and nylon are both made up of giant polymer molecules. Polymer molecules are often long chains of atoms linked in repeating patterns. There are a lot of atoms bonded to one another in these molecules, giving a lot of places where
The answer lies in the basic but remarkable molecular structure of cotton, nylon and water. The simple water molecule, with its one oxygen atom attached to two hydrogen atoms, causes a different action when it comes in contact with the complex molecules that make up cotton and nylon. Water has a sticky quality that comes from its molecular structure. The oxygen atom attracts electrons, giving it a slightly negative charge. The two hydrogen atoms have a slightly positive charge. The positive and negative ends make the water molecule like a magnet (dipole), which keeps water molecules together and makes the surface of a water drop slightly elastic. It also means that water molecules will bond easily with molecules with an opposite charge that come nearby. Cotton and nylon are both made up of giant polymer molecules. Polymer molecules are often long chains of atoms linked in repeating patterns. There are a lot of atoms bonded to one another in these molecules, giving a lot of places where
