SOAPS AND DETERGENTS

1.Generally a detergent is anything which is used to clean something. 2.Generally a detergent can be divide into two types: a)Soapy detergent or simply called soaps. b)soapless detergents or simply called detergents.

Soaps
1. Most soaps are water-soluble substance which either sodium salts of fatty acids or potassium salts of fatty acid. 2. The fatty acid are those of carboxylic acid. Most of them have long chain of carbom atoms. 3. Each carboxylic acid chain usually contains between twelve and eighteen carbon atoms. 4. The general formula for soap is a)RCOONa for sodium soap. b)RCOOK for potassium soap R stand for alkyl groups of carbon chain.

The History Of Soap Manufacturing

1. Soap have been used for more than 3000 years. It was recorded that the Babylonians were making soaps around 2800 B.C.2. 2. The Purifying Oils were recorded on Hebrew tablets in 4000 B.C. 3. In ancient time, soap was made from vegetable or animal fats with ashes from plants. These ashes contain potassium carbonate

Preparation Of Soap
1. Saponification is the process that is used for making soap.This process involves the reaction between the following: a)A concentration alkaline solution b)A fat or oil In this process... a) oil or fats are hydrolysed. b) the concentrated alkaline solution acts as a catalyst. 2. Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are often use as the alkaline solution. 3. Any types of fats can be used.These fats can be from animals such as goat,cow or even a chicken. 4. Any types of vegetables oils can be used. This includes... a) coconut oil b) palm oil c) olive oil

5. The oil and fats are big ester molecules. These ester molecules are made up of fatty acid and glycerol joined together. 6. During the manufacture of soap... a) the big ester molecules are broken down to fatty acids and glycerol. b) the fatty acid then react with the alkali to form glycerol and soap. 7. In brief these two reactions can be summarised as follows:

Commercial Soap
1. Other ingredients that are added are such as: a) Colouring b) Perfumes 2. Most commercial soap is potassium salt soap. 3. Other substances that are usually added to soap are: a) optical brighteners (whitening agent especially for washing clothes) . b) water softener (to be used in areas with hard water). c) Abrasives (to increase the power Of the cleansing action). It help to remove dirt and grease by making scrubbing more effective

Structure Of The Soap Molecules

1. Common soap usually contains compound such as sodium stearate. These compound have two parts. a) An ionic head [-COO Na ] b) A long hydocarbon chain as the tail 2. The ionic head are soluble in water. 3. The hydrocarbon tails are insoluble in water. But they are soluble in grease or oil.

Cleansing Action Of Soap