SOAPS

What is a soap?

Introduction

Preparation of soaps

Difference between soaps and detergents

Cleansing action

Soaps And Detergents are used for washing. It dissolves dirt, but some dirt will not dissolve in water. Soaps and detergents help water to remove dirt.

INTRODUCTION

Soap is a sodium salt or Potassium salt of long chain fatty acids that has cleansing action in water.

WHAT IS A SOAP?

PREPARATION OF SOAP

CLEANING ACTION OF SOAP

SOAPS

They are metal salts of long

chain higher fatty acids.

These are prepared from

vegetable oils and animal

fats.

They cannot be used

effectively in hard water as

they produce scum i.e.,

insoluble precipitates of

Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+ etc.

DETERGENTS

These are sodium salts of

long chain hydrocarbons like

alkyl sulphates or alkyl

benzene sulphonates.

They are prepared from

hydrocarbons of petroleum

or coal.

These do not produce

insoluble precipitates in hard

water. They are effective in

soft, hard or salt water.

Differences between soaps and

detergents

DETERGENTS

Properties of Detergents

What are detergents?

Cleansing action of detergents

Advantages

Disadvantages

We use detergents every day, in one form or another. Like

plastics and alkanols, most detergents are made from

petroleum products.TOOTHPASTE

SHAMPOO

SOAP BODY LOTION FACE

CLEANING

LOTION

WASHING

POWDER

DISH-WASHING

LIQUID

CAR WASH

WHAT ARE DETERGENTS?

A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleaning

properties in dilute solutions. These substances are usually

alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to

soap but are more soluble in hard water.

1. As a wetting agentA detergent reduces the surface tension of water. As a result of this,

water spreads over the surface and wets it more easily. A detergent

thus acts as a wetting agent.

tap waterdetergent

solution

A detergent increases the wetting power of water. Tap water does not wet

this piece of cloth easily, but a detergent solution does.

PROPERTIES OF DETERGENTS

Oil and water do not mix. An oil-water emulsion is unstable. On

standing, the tiny oil droplets rapidly join together and grow

larger to form a separate oily layer again.

2. As an emulsifying agent

An oil-water emulsion is stabilized by a

detergent.

CLEANSING ACTION OF DETERGENTSDETERGENTS are cleansing agents. They work by reducing the surface

tension of water, enabling it to wet things more effectively, and by

emulsifying grease.

Since detergents are the salts of strong acids they

do not decompose in acidic medium. Thus detergents

can effectively clean fabric even if the water is acidic.

Synthetic detergents are more soluble in water than

soaps.

They have a stronger cleansing action than soaps.

As detergents are derived from petroleum they save

on natural vegetable oils, which are important as

essential cooking medium

ADVANTAGES OF DETERGENTS

Many detergents are resistant to the action of biological agents and thus are not biodegradable. Their elimination from municipal wastewaters by the usual treatments is a problem.

They have a tendency to produce stable foams in rivers that extend over several hundred meters of the river water. This is due to the effects of surfactants used in their preparation. Thus they pose a danger to aquatic life.

They tend to inhibit oxidation of organic substances present in wastewaters because they form a sort of envelope around them.

DISADVANTAGES OF DETERGENTS

SOAPLESS SOAP

How is it different from normal soap?

What is a soapless soap?

How is it made?

Advantages

Disadvantages

SOAP-LESS SOAP

"Soap-less soaps" are generally

referred to as non-soap cleansers.

Soap-less soaps refers to a soap

free liquid cleanser with a slightly

acidic pH .

They come in liquid and powder

forms, and are used to clean and

disinfect objects and surfaces, as

well as clothing and skin.

HOW IS IT MADE?

Soapless soap is made from the aromatic

hydrocarbons found in crude oil.

These hydrocarbons are mixed with acid with a high

sulfuric content and then the solution is neutralized

and stabilized with sodium hydroxide to make it

functioning and usable.

When combined with water, soapless soap becomes

a cleaning agent, capable of dissolving grease,

disinfecting and removing particles from the surface

it is cleaning.

How is soap-less soap different from a normal

soap??

In true soap, a fat or an oil (often derived from animal

products) is combined with an alkali (like salt) to create a

chemical reaction. The soap breaks the surface tension of

water and helps bind dirt and grim to that water so you can

wash clean.

A non-soap cleanser performs the same cleaning function

but with a synthetic, chemically generated reaction rather

than the natural reaction of true soap. Non-soap cleansers

are often recommended for people with dry skin or certain

skin conditions.

ADVANTAGES

They are formulated not to leave soap scum in hard

water.

can be used in hard as well as soft water. They wet

fabrics more quickly and readily than soap.

dissolve freely even in cool water.

DISADVANTAGES

soapless soaps are non-biodegradable, making them more

dangerous to the environment.

soapless soap contain a high pH balance, they can react

poorly with skin causing irritations or allergies.

When biodegradable soapless soaps degrade, they

consume much of the oxygen in the water, which can be

harmful to the surrounding life supported by the water.