wetting agent

Also known as a SURFACTANT

Available in Liquid or Granule form.

A wetting agent is a chemical substance that reduces the surface tension of water to allow it to spread drops onto a surface.

This increases the spreading and penetrating properties of a liquid by weakening its cohesion and strengthening its adhesion. 

A wetting agent is a surface-active molecule used to reduce the surface tension of water. Let me explain how it works:

Surface Tension of Water:

Pure water has a high surface tension of approximately 72.8 mN/m at 20 °C.
This high surface tension causes problems in home gardens where water-based solutions are used because the solution is not able to wet the surface it is applied to.

Role of Wetting Agents:

Wetting agents belong to a class of surfactants.
Surfactants are surface-active molecules that adsorb at air-liquid or liquid-liquid interfaces.
They help reduce the surface tension by penetrating between water molecules, thus reducing cohesion between them.

Applications:

Wetting agents are commonly used in various products:
Pesticides: Wetting agents help pesticide solutions spread on leaf surfaces, increasing their efficiency. The waxy surface of many insects, fungi, and plants makes it difficult for most water-based pesticide solutions to penetrate their target.

Measurement of Efficiency:

Surface tension measurements determine how much the wetting agent reduces the surface tension and how much of it should be used.