1) The COVID-19 virus has a lipid envelop surrounding it which is essential for the survival of the virus.
So I) why is washing your hands with soap effective against the
virus? II) Why are hand sanitizers with 60% ethanol or 70%
isopropanol effective against the virus?
Some viruses including COVID 19 have lipid membranes that resemble double-layered micelles with two bands of hydrophobic tails sandwiched between two rings of hydrophilic heads. When we wash our hands with soap and water. The hydrophobic tails of the free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them apart.
The germicidal mechanism of action of alcohols involves denaturation of proteins and disruption of cell membranes splitting cells into pieces or messing with a cell's metabolism.
Get Answers For Free
Most questions answered within 1 hours.