Explain the mechanism of micelle formation by giving an example.

(N/A) Let us take the example of soap solution. Soap is a sodium or potassium salt of a higher fatty acid and may be represented as $RCOO^{-} Na^{+}$ (e.g.,sodium stearate $CH_{3}(CH_{2})_{16}COO^{-} Na^{+}$,which is a major component of many bar soaps).
When dissolved in water,it dissociates into $RCOO^{-}$ and $Na^{+}$ ions. The $RCOO^{-}$ ions consist of two parts:
$1$. $A$ long hydrocarbon chain $R$ (also called non-polar 'tail') which is hydrophobic (water-repelling).
$2$. $A$ polar group $COO^{-}$ (also called polar ionic 'head') which is hydrophilic (water-loving).
These ions aggregate at the surface of the water with their hydrophobic tails pointing away from the water and the hydrophilic heads pointing towards the water. At higher concentrations,these ions are pulled into the bulk of the solution and aggregate into a spherical shape with their hydrophobic tails pointing towards the center and the hydrophilic heads on the surface of the sphere. This aggregated structure is called a micelle.