Detergents and Soaps
The chemical reaction that produces soap is called saponification. It occurs when a hot caustic alkali solution, such as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), acts on natural fats or oils to produce a smooth, semisolid, fatty acid salt (soap) and glycerin, or glycerol. There are many different procedures and techniques of making soap. Three main ones include the boiling process, the continuous process and the cold procedure, The boiling process is one specific procedure in which soap can easily be made at home by boiling water with animal fat or vegetable oils and wood ash. As the water boils, the fat molecules are broken down into fatty acids. Saponification occurs when these fatty acids react with potassium carbonate from the ash to form soap. Continuous soap making process is another common process in which the fat is split into fatty acids and glycerin in a tall column called a hydrolyser. Molten fat is continuously pumped in at the bottom of the hydrolyser and is split into fatty acids by water that is continuously pumped in at the top at high temperature and pressure. The fatty acids are taken from the top of the hydrolyser and the glycerin is drawn off a
Soaps cannot be used in acidic medium, as this would precipitate the fatty acids. Synthetic detergents can be used in any medium including acidic medium. Soaps have weak cleansing action. Synthetic detergents have strong cleansing action. Sodium sulfonates make up the most common group of detergents. Sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate was one of the earliest detergents. Its molecules have a long chain of hydrocarbons linked carbon atoms with two hydrogen atoms attached to each carbon atom. The chain is not straight: the carbon atoms branch off at one end. This is the hydrophobic part that attaches to soil. The other end, a sodium sulfonate molecule (SO3Na), attaches to water. The chemical reacts with hydrocarbons derived from petroleum or fats and oils to produce new acids similar to fatty acids. A second reaction adds an alkali to the new acids to produce one type of anionic surfactant molecule.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Surfactants Nonionic, Detergents Soap, Chemistry Manufacture, Social Significance, Relevance Soaps, DETERGENTS Unlike, Anionic Surfactants, soaps detergents, fatty acids, synthetic detergents, Positive Negative, hard water, detergents soaps, soaps biodegradable, surface-active molecules, positive outcomes, cleansing action, negative outcomes, strong cleansing action, detergents hard water, weak cleansing action, water soaps acidic, milled bar soap,
Approximate Word count = 2043
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
