FORM 5

CHAPTER 5: CHEMICALS FOR CONSUMERS

5.2 The cleansing action o soa! an" "ete#gent
The cleansing action for soaps and detergents results from their ability;
i. to lower the surface tension of water,
ii. to emulsify oil or grease / dirt, and
iii. To hold them in suspension in water.
This ability is due to the structure of soaps and detergent
Structure of soaps
oap consists of so"i$%&!otassi$% cations an" soa! anions.
!hen sodium/potassium soap is dissol"ed in water, it will form soa! anions and so"i$% ion'
Na
(
o# !otassi$% ion' )
(
.
odium soap soa! anions # sodium cations $%a
#
&
'otassium soap soa! anions # potassium cations $(
#
&
What are soap anions?
The diagram abo"e shows that the structure of soap anions consists of,
i. hydrocarbon chains )nown as h*"#o!ho+ic part
ii. carbo*ylate/ionic group )nown as h*"#o!hilic part
Structure of detergent
+etergent of so"i$% cations an" "ete#gent anions.
!hen a detergent is dissol"e in water, it will form "ete#gent anions and so"i$% ion' Na
(
.
What are detergent anions?
,-
.
O
,
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
C
O
-ydrophobic
$-ydrocarbon chains&
COO
,
-ydrophilic
$,arbo*ylate group&
oap anions
0
FORM 5
i1 odium al)yl sulphate detergent
The diagram abo"e shows that the structure of al)yl sulphate anions consists of,
i. hydrocarbon/al)yl chains )nown as h*"#o!ho+ic part
ii. ulphate/ionic group )nown as h*"#o!hilic part
i1 odium al)yl ben2ene sulphonate detergent
O33O
4
%a
#
5l)yl sulphate ion
O
6
7
6
O
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
.
-ydrophobic
$hydrocarbon/al)yl chains&
-ydrophilic
$sulphate ions&
OSO
-
,
33O
4
%a
#
5l)ylben2ene sulphonate anions
O
6
7
6
O
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
/
,-
.
-ydrophobic
$hydrocarbon/al)yl ben2ene chains&
-ydrophilic
$ulphonate ions&
SO
-
,
/
FORM 5
From the diagram abo"e shows that the structure of al)yl ben2ene sulphonate anions consists
of,
i. hydrocarbon/al)yl ben2ene chains )nown as h*"#o!ho+ic part
ii. sulphonate/ionic group )nown as h*"#o!hilic part
...8n water, soap and detergent dissol"es to form soap anions and detergent anions. The
anions will carry out the cleansing action, because these anions consist of hydrophobic and
hydrophilic part.
-ydrophobic is water9hating part, is sol$+le in oil&g#ease&"i#t, but
insoluble in water.
-ydrophilic is water9lo"ing part, is sol$+le in /ate# but insoluble in oil/grease/dirt.
:oth of the properties of anions, ma)es soap and detergent act as an effecti"e cleansing
agent.
How soap and detergent carry out the cleansing action?
9 The cloth is dipped in a soap or detergent solutions.
9 oap and detergent reduces the surface tension of water.
9 This increase the wetting ability of water, therefore the surface of the cloth is wetted
thoroughly.
3
3
3
3
odium ion
oap/detergent ion
;rease/dirt
+irt cloth
#
# # #
3
#
#
#
3
3
#
3
3
#
.
FORM 5
9 -ydrophilic part dissol"es in water.
9 -ydrophobic part dissol"es in dirt/grease.
9 Mechanical agitation during scrubbing helps pull the dirt/grease free, and brea) the grease
into small part.
3
3
3
3
3 3
3
3
3
-ydrophilic part
# #
# #
-ydrophobic
part
#
#
#
#
#
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
#
#
#
#
# #
#
#
#
#
<
FORM 5
9 The droplets do not coagulate and redeposit on the surface of the cloth because the
repulsion between the negati"e charges on their surface.
9 The droplets is suspended in the water forming an emulsion.
9 Rinsing washes away these droplets and lea"es the surface clean.
The eecti0eness action o soa! an" "ete#gent
Advantages of soap
0. oap is an eecti0e cleaning agent in soft water.
9 oft water did not contain Mg
/#
ions and ,a
/#
ions.
9 =*ample> rain water, tap water

/. oap "oes not pollute the en"ironment.
9 oap is biodegradable ?can be decomposed by bacteria1 because it was made from
substance that found in animal and plant.
.. oap will not ha#% the a@uatic life.
9 oap will not change p- "alue of ri"er and pool because soap is salt and wea) al)ali.
Disadvantages of soap
0. oap is not s$ita+le for use in hard water.
9 -ard water contains Mg
/#
ions and ,a
/#
ions.
9 =*ample> ea water, ri"er water
9 Mg
/#
and ,a
/#
ions react with the soap ions to form an insoluble precipitate
)nown as soa! sc$%.
9 oap scum reduces the amount of soap a"ailable for cleaning, thus wasting soap.
9 oap scum does not rinse away easily.
9 oap scum can form deposits on clothes causing them to be grey or yellow in
colour.
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
#
#
#
#
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
#
# #
#
#
5
FORM 5
/. oap did not effecti"e in acidic water.
9 oap ion reacts with -
#
ion to produce carbo*ylic acid molecule.
Advantages of detergent
0. +etergent is effecti"e in hard and soft water.
9 +etergent do not form scum with hard water.
9 +etergent form soluble substances with calcium or magnesium ions.
/. +etergent effecti"e in acidic water
9 +etergent ions do not combine with -
#
ions.
.. +etergent is synthetic cleansing agent.
9 tructure of the hydrocarbon chain can be modified to produce detergents with
specific properties.
Disadvantage of detergent
0. +etergent can cause pollution to en"ironment
9 +etergents are not biodegradable, so that it cannot be decomposed by bacteria.
/. +etergent harm to a@uatic life
9 +etergent contains phosphate fertili2er will increases the growth of seaweed and
algae in pond or ri"er. Aots of soluble o*ygen in water will be use up by bacteria to
decompose seaweed and algae when the plant died. The content of o*ygen in water
decreases, thus can )ill a@uatic life.
.. +etergent produces a lot of foam.
9 Foam can co"er the water surface and pre"ent the o*ygen dissol"es into water,
thus will )ill a@uatic life.
A""iti0es in "ete#gent
The main substances in detergent are so"i$% al1*l +en2ene s$l!honate and so"i$% al1*l
s$l!hate. =*ample of detergent is shampoo, clothes washing powder and dishes washing
li@uid.
Barious type of additi"e is also added to detergent to enhance the cleaning efficiency and to
meet the needs of consumers.
a""iti0es F$nction
!hitening agent ?sodium
perborate1
React as bleach agent to "anish the colour stain but did not
fade the colour of the clothes.
:iological en2ymes ?amilase,
lipase, protease, selulase1
React to substances that in organic properties li)e blood, food
and water. =n2ymes dissol"e and change it to substance that
can dissol"e in water.
Fluorescent agent Ma)e the clothes more white, shiny and bright.
C
FORM 5
?:lancophor1
:uild9up agent
?sodium tripolyphosphates1
often hard water; e*pel Mg
/#
and ,a
/#
ions.
8ncrease the p- "alue.
+rying agent
?sodium sulphate,
odium silicate1
=nsure that the detergent is always in a dry condition.
tabili2ers To pre"ent the formation of foam
'erfumes To ma)e clothes smell fresh and clean.
5ntiseptic substance To )ill all microorganisms those cause disease and smell.
D