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Soaps and Detergents

Soaps and detergents are cleaning agents that remove dirt from surfaces, with soaps being sodium or potassium salts of long-chain carboxylic acids and synthetic detergents being soapless cleaning agents derived from petroleum. Soaps are biodegradable but can be ineffective in hard or acidic water, while synthetic detergents work well in various water conditions and do not form insoluble salts. The document also discusses the structure of soap molecules, the preparation of soap through saponification, and the differences between hard and soft water.

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17 views6 pages

Soaps and Detergents

Soaps and detergents are cleaning agents that remove dirt from surfaces, with soaps being sodium or potassium salts of long-chain carboxylic acids and synthetic detergents being soapless cleaning agents derived from petroleum. Soaps are biodegradable but can be ineffective in hard or acidic water, while synthetic detergents work well in various water conditions and do not form insoluble salts. The document also discusses the structure of soap molecules, the preparation of soap through saponification, and the differences between hard and soft water.

Uploaded by

prabhatawasthi28
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SOAPS AND DETERGENTS

Soaps and detergents are the substances which are used for the cleaning purpose. Soap and detergent When
dissolved in water possesses, the ability to remove dirt from surface, such as the human skin, textiles and other
solids.
There are two types of detergents -
1. Soap 2. Synthetic detergents
Soap – Shops are sodium, or potassium salts of long chain Carboxylic acids.
1. Sodium stearate ( C17H35COONa )
2. Sodium palmitate ( C15H31COONa )
Difference between toilet soap and laundry soap –
Structure of Soap Molecule – The structure of soap molecule consists of a long hydrocarbon tail at one
end, which is hydrophobic in nature The other end is the ionic part, which is hydrophilic in nature.
The hydrocarbon tail being hydrophobic reacts with oil or grease while the ionic end being hydrophilic reacts
with water. As a result, micelles are formed. They form an emulsion in water. When the surface of clothes is
beaten or agitated, micelles are thrown away and the cloth is cleaned.

Preparation of Soap – Soap is produced by the


saponification (hydrolysis) of a triglyceride (fat or oil). In this
process, triglyceride reacts with a strong base such as sodium
or potassium hydroxide to produce glycerol and fatty acid
salts. The salt of the fatty acid is called soap.
Hard and soft water –
(i) Hard water – Water that does not form an immediate foam with the soup is called hard water.
Hard water, which contains salts of magnesium and calcium reacts with soap to form magnesium salt of fatty acid and
calcium salt of fatty acid.
(ii) Soft water – Water that forms an immediate foam with soap is called soft water. Such water does not have
dissolved the salt of calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Advantages and disadvantages of soaps –
Advantages – Soaps are biodegradable, so they do not produce pollution.
Disadvantages –
1. Ordinary soaps are not suited for fabrics such as silks, wool etc. The alkalis in them injure the fiber.
2. If the water is slightly acidic in nature soaps cannot be used for cleaning purpose. The acid media change soaps
into carboxylic acid and the action of soap becomes ineffective.
Synthetic Detergent – A detergent is a non-soapy cleaning agent that uses a surface-active agent for cleaning a
substance in solution. Synthetic detergents are described as soapless soaps. Modern synthetic detergents are alkyl
or aryl sulphonates produced from petroleum (or coal) and sulphuric acid.
Like soaps, detergents contain one large non-polar hydrocarbon group and one short ionic or highly polar group
at each end, which allow for the cleansing action of dirt in water.
Properties of synthetic detergents -
1. Synthetic detergents do not react with the ions present in hard water.
2. Synthetic detergents can be used even in acidic solution and sea water.
3. Synthetic detergents do not form insoluble salts of calcium or magnesium with hard water. Hence, lesser
amounts of synthetic detergents are required for washing.
Difference between soaps and synthetic detergents -

THE END

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