SOAPS AND DETERGENTS

SOAPS AND DETERGENTS

• Soaps are Sodium or potassium salts of carboxylic acid are known as soap.
• Detergents are cleansing agents possessing ammonium or sulphonate salts of long chain carboxylic acids that are used to clean clothes in hard water.

Cleansing action of soap and detergents-:

• Action of these agents is due to ability to reduce surface tension of water.
• Soap and detergent molecules have two parts
• Non-ionic tail- this part is insoluble in water
• Ionic head-this part is water soluble

The ionic-end of soap interacts with water while the carbon chain interacts with oil.

• The soap molecules thus form structures called micelles where one end of the molecules is towards the oil droplet while the ionic-end faces outside.
• This forms an emulsion in water.
• The soap micelle thus helps in pulling out the dirt in water and we can wash our clothes clean.