surfactant

IPA: sɝfˈæktʌnt

(chemistry) A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.
(biochemistry) A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

Examples of "surfactant" in Sentences

Synthetic surfactant is used to help immature lungs rest and heal.
They are encased in water using a surfactant, which is similar to soap, and then spun in a centrifuge.
Dr. Avery ultimately identified a mix of fat and proteins in the lungs that came to be called surfactant.
Thanks to the March of Dimes, a substance called surfactant had been developed that helped a premature baby's undeveloped lungs work.
Your baby’s lungs mature, too, and begin to produce a substance called surfactant, which helps the tiny alveoli air sacs stay inflated after birth.
Doctors had to give Cowan an emergency C-section and put the infant on a breathing tube, using a method called surfactant therapy, to allow Sara to breathe.
One educational way to employ a magnet to use it to purify water that has been contaminated with a surfactant, which is a material that can lower the surface tension in water.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Oxycyte oxygen carrier is a perfluorocarbon emulsified with water and a surfactant, which is provided to the patient intravenously.