CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012

SOAPS & DETERGENTS

INTRODUCTION
1. Cleansing agents are chemical substance used to remove grease and dirt. 2. There are two type of cleansing agents : a) Soaps b) Detergents 3. Soaps are sodium or potassium salt of fatty acids that contains 12 to 18 carbon atoms per molecule. 4. Soaps are cleansing agents made from animal fats or vegetable oil by saponification. Soap is a salt of a compound known as a fatty acid. A soap molecule consists of a long hydrocarbon chain (composed of carbons and hydrogens) with a carboxylic acid group on one end which is ionic bonded to a metal ion, usually a sodium or potassium. The hydrocarbon end is non polar and is soluble in non polar substances (such as fats and oils), and the ionic end (the salt of a carboxylic acid) is soluble in water.

CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012

Detergent

Salt that are formed by neutralizing analkyl hydrogen sulphate with analkali. One example of detergent is sodium lauryl sulphate Detergents may contain many other substances in addition to the substances that does the cleaning and also to make it more effective. These substances are called additives

Biological enzymes are catalyst that increase the detergency or cleaning power of a detergent. Whitening agents include bleaches such as sodium perborate. They release chlorine and oxygen that remove stains and make clothes become whiter

CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012

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. The Purifying Oils were recorded on Hebrew tablets in 4000 B.C. 3. In ancients time, soap made from ashes of plants which contain sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate. The ashes were boiled with lime (calcium oxide) to produce caustic potash (potassium hydroxide). Caustic potash is then boiled with the animal fats to produce soap.

4. In 1861, the Belgian Chemist Ernest Solvay (1838-1922) discovered the process to make soda (sodium carbonate) from common salt (sodium chloride) and calcium carbonate. 5. This process is known as the Solvay Process which produces sodium carbonate cheaply for industrial use. Sodium carbonate (often called soda or soda ash) is used for making glass, soaps and detergents. 6. Michel Chevreul (1786-1889), a French chemist, was noted for his research in the composition of animal fats is composed of fatty acids and glycerol. This discovery contributed to the rapid development of the soap and candle industry.

CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012

Preparation of soap by saponification

1.Soap is a cleansing agents produced by the reaction between sodium hydroxideand potassium hydroxide with animal fats or vegetable oils. This reaction is knownas saponification. 2.Fats and vegetable oils are large, naturally occurring ester molecules. When fats or oils are boiled with concentrated alkalis, such as sodium hydroxide, saponificationoccurs and the ester molecules are broken down into soap and glycerol.Fats or vegetable oils + concentrated alkalis soap +glycerol 3.Saponification is the alkaline hydrolysis of ester using alkali solutions. From thechemist aspect, soaps are sodium salts or potassium salts of long chaincarboxylic acids (with 12 to 18 carbon atoms per molecule). 4.Some examples of soaps are shown below. a) Sodium palmitate, b) Sodium oleate, c) Sodium stearate, Additives such as perfume, colouring matter and sometimes antiseptics are addedto soaps to enhance their marketability.

5.Glyceryl tristearates are naturally occurring esters commonly found in animal fatsand vegetable oils. When the ester is boiled with concentrated sodium hydroxidesolution, saponification (alkaline hydrolysis) occurs and mixture of sodiumstearate (soap) and glycerol is obtained.

CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012

6. The soap produced can be precipitated by adding common salt (sodium chloride)to the reaction mixture. 7.The sodium chloride added reduced the solubility of soap in water. As a result,precipitation of soap occurs. 8.The properties of soap depend on : a)The type of alkali used for saponification b)The type of animal fats or vegetable oils used. 9.Soaps produced from sodium hydroxide are hard, whereas soaps produced frompotassium hydroxide are soft. 10.Animal fats (tallow) from cows and vegetable oils (such as palm oil or olive oil) aeused for making soap.

CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012

The structure of soap molecule 1.When soap is dissolved in water, it will dissociate and produce sodium ions and carboxylate ions (RCOO-). For example, sodium stearate dissolves in water to form sodium ions and stearate ions 2. The active substance in soap is the carboxylate ion, for example, stearate ion. The stearate ion consist of two parts : the head and the tail. The head id negatively charged and the tail is a long hydrocarbon chain. 3.The head contains the -C-O ions which dissolves readily in water (hydrophilic)but does not dissolve in oil. Conversely, the tail contains a long hydro carbon chain which is insoluble in water (hydrophobic) but dissolves readily in oil 4.Soaps made from palmitic acid are known as sodium palmitate. Figure 5.2 shows the structure of the palmitate ion in soaps.

CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMER

2012