Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) scale is used to describe the characteristics of surfactants.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Sodium oleate is a classic anionic surfactant, which is the salt of a long-chain fatty acid.
Due to its strong hydrophilic carboxylate head group and hydrocarbon tail, it is highly water-soluble.
Surfactants with HLB values in the range of 15 to 20 are generally considered to be solubilizing agents or detergents, which corresponds to the properties of sodium oleate (typically cited as approximately 18).
Step 3: Final Answer:
The HLB value of sodium oleate is around 18.0.