ABSTRACT

The objective of this experiment is to compare the properties of soap prepared in the
laboratory and detergent and their ability to clean. The soap is prepared by using vegetable
oil. The process of making soap is done by using the vacuum filtration method and also
through saponification process. Once the preparation of the soap has been completed, the
properties of soap and detergent are compared. The soap solution is more alkali than
synthetic detergent with the pH of soap solution is 10.01 while the pH of synthetic detergent
is 7.79 when they are both tested using the pH meter. For the emulsification test, we can see
that only distilled water not emulsified in the oil while synthetic detergent and soap solution
are emulsified in the oil. Then, a precipitation test is conducted. The precipitation test is
conducted by using CaCl2, MgCl2 and FeCl3 for both the soap and detergent. The observation
obtained was that soap is precipitate in the system while detergent does not have any
precipitate. Next, the soap and detergent are both tested for oil emulsification by adding a few
drops of mineral oil is to each system. From the test, it is observed that the soap and detergent
has not emulsified in all systems. After that, both the soap and detergent is tested with the
acidic solution that is HCl. From the test, it is observed that soap solution will form
precipitate while detergent do not form any precipitate and emulsifies. Lastly, the cleaning
capability of the soap and detergent are determined. From the test, it is observed that the
cleaning abilities for soap are slightly better compare to detergent.

INTRODUCTION
Soaps are mainly used for washing, bathing, cleaning and are important components of
lubricants. Soaps that are mainly used for cleansing are produced by treating vegetable or
animal oils and fats together mixed with a strong alkaline solution. Fats and oils are made up
of triglycerides. Triglycerides are three molecules of fatty acids that are attached to a
molecule of glycerol. The alkaline solution, which is often called lye, brings about a chemical
reaction known as saponification.
The basic structure of all soaps is essentially the same, consisting of a long
hydrophobic hydrocarbon "tail" and a hydrophilic anionic "head". The length of the
hydrocarbon chain ("n") varies with the type of fat or oil but is usually quite long. The
anionic charge on the carboxylate head is usually balanced by either a positively
charged potassium (K + ) or sodium (Na + ) cation. In making soap, triglycerides in fat or oils
are heated in the presence of a strong alkali base such as sodium hydroxide, producing three
molecules of soap for every molecule of glycerol. This process is called saponification and is
illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1.1: Saponification

Like synthetic detergents, soaps are "surface active" substances ( surfactants ) and as
such make water better at cleaning surfaces. Water, although a good general solvent, is
unfortunately also a substance with a very high surface tension. Because of this, water
molecules generally prefer to stay together rather than to wet other surfaces. Surfactants work
by reducing the surface tension of water, allowing the water molecules to better wet the
surface and thus increase water's ability to dissolve dirty, oily stains.

THEORY
A soap is a mixture of several naturally occuring fatty which is obtained from sodium salts.
Ususally, air bubbles added to a molten soap to decrease the density of the soap so that it will
float on the water. Soap is the salt of a weak acid and most organic acids arc weak acids.
Soap solutions tend to be slightly alkaline (basic) due to partial hydrolysis of the acid.
Theorytically, the soap is produced by a saponification or basic hydrolysis reaction of a fat or
oil.
The cleansing action of soaps results from two effects. Soaps are wetting agents that
reduce the surface tension of water, allowing the water molecules to encounter the dirty
object. They are also emulsifying agents. "Dirt" frequently consists of a grease or oil along
with other organic species. In general, organic compounds are nonpolar. Water is a polar
species. These two substances will not dissolve in each other because of their dissimilar
characteristics. Soaps cross the boundary between polar and nonpolar because they contain a
polar hydrophobic end and a polar hydrophilic head. The hydrophobic portion of soap is
soluble in non-polar compounds like grease and oils and the hydrophilic end dissolves in
water. Soap molecules surround grease and oils and break them up into microscopic droplets,
which can remain suspended in water. Thus oil or grease dissolved in water forms an
emulsion; a form of suspension in water.

Figure 3.1: a) A molecular line drawing and b) a skeletal representation of sodium stearate.

Normally, soaps made from sodium and potassium fatty acid salts are soluble in
water. However, in the presence of these metal ions, the Na+ and K+ convert to insoluble
Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe 3+ salts.
In this experiment, in the other words, soap is a generic term for the sodium or
potassium salts of long-chain organic acid which is fatty acid that are made from naturally
occuring esters in animal fats and also the vegetable oils. All organic acid contain the
RCOOH functional group, where R is the shorthen notation for the complex hydrocarbon
which famously known as alkyl group. The term for R is used because the group can be very
large and for the addition for each chain has a litter effect for the chemical reactivity. While
for the ester it contain RCOOR functional group.
A soap is the sodium or potassium salt of a long chain fatty acid. The fatty acid
usually contain 12 to 18 carbon atoms which can be expressed as term R.Furthermore, the
hydrocarbon chain in the soap may contain saturated and unsaturated chains. Sodium salts are
usually solid therefore, most bars of soap are sodium salts. While potassium salts are the
basis of liquid soaps, shaving cream, and greases. Triglycerides is formed by the combination
of three molecules of fatty acid which are fats and vegetable oils. Triglycerides included in
the ester group which is RCOOR which derived from three fatty acids.
Triglycerides + Alkali Soap + Water + Glycerine

equation 3.1

Saponification is a process that produce soap usually from fats and lye. In the other words,
saponification involves base hydrolysis of triglycerides, which are esters of fatty acid to
produce a product which is sodium salt od a carboxylate. Besides, saponification processes
also produce glycerol. The saponification of triglyceride produces 3 fatty acid which is soap
and the glycerol but the alkyl group in the triglyceride may or may not have the same chain
length which known as the number of carbons.

Figure 3.2: Triglyceride molecule made of lauric acid and glycerol

Carboxylic group + Hydrocarbon chain Fatty acid

equation 3.2

Fatty acids + Alkali Soap + Water

equation 3.3

Since the cleansing action of soaps depend upon the fact that they ionize readily in
water, thus the soap would no longer clean and emulsify the oil and dirt. This is because due
to the hard water contain metal cations such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ that will react with the charged
ends of the soaps and directly form the insoluble salts.
As the conclusion, the synthetic detergent were developed to overcome this kind of
problems. The difference in polar groups is one of the key distinctions between a soap and a
synthetic detergent. The synthetic detergent form micelles and cleanse in the same manner as
soaps but if it released into rivers and lakes it can cause explosive growth of algae. Thus, it
can cause decay of the aquatic ecosystem due to deoxygenation from the decomposition of
dead algae.

OBJECTIVES
The objective of the experiment being conducted is to demonstrate the preparation of soap
from vegetable oils. Besides that, the experiment is conducted also to compare the properties
of soap to synthetics detergent. Next, the experiment is to compare the cleaning abilities of
soap and detergent.

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

APPARATUS
Beaker
pH meter
test tubes and rack
hot plate
magnetic stirrer
Erlenmeyer flask
Vacuum filtration set
Filter paper
Cloth test strips

MATERIALS
Tomato sauce
1M HCL
Liquid Dynamo
Distilled water
Mineral oil
1% CaCl2
1% MgCl2
1% FeCl2
Vegetables oil
Ice
6 M of Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
Ethanol
Sodium chloride (NaCl)

PROCEDURE
Soap Preparation
1. A 25mL of vegetable oil was placed in a 250mL Erlenmeyer flask. 20mL of ethanol
and 25mL of 6 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution were added to the flask. The
mixture was stirred to mix the contents of the flask.
2. The 250 mL flask was heated in a boiling water bath inside of a 600mL beaker.
3. The mixture was stirred continuously during the heating process and was heat for 3020 minute until the alcohol odor was no longer detectable.
4. The paste-like mixture from boiling-water was removed and cooled the flask in an ice
bath for 10-15 minutes.
5. While the flask was cooled assemble the vacuum filtration, the vacuum flask was
secured to a ring stand with a utility clamp.
6. A piece of filtration paper was weighted to nearest 0.001g and placed it inside the
Buchner funnel. The paper was moist with water.
7. When the flask had cooled, 150mL of saturated sodium chloride (NaCl) solution was
added to the flask.
8. The water was slowly turned on at the aspirator. The mixture was poured from the
flask into the Buchner funnel. When all liquid had filtered through the funnel, the
soap with 10mL of ice cold water was washed. The suction filtration was continued
until all water was removed from the soap.
9. The soap was removed from the funnel and pressed it between two paper towels. The
filter paper was weighted with dried soap. The mass recorded to the nearest 0.001.
The mass of soap was determined by difference.

Comparison of Soap and Detergent Properties Precipitation and Emulsification

1. Stock soap solution was prepared by dissolved 2g of your prepared soap in 100mL of
boiling and distilled water. The mixture was stirred until the soap had dissolved and
allowed the solution to cool.
2. Step 1 was repeated using 2g of synthetic detergent (dynamo). The pH of each
solution was determined when both of the solutions were cooled.
3. Three test tubes were labeled and added 4 drops of mineral oil to each test tube. 5mL
of distilled water was added in test tube 1 and 5mL of stock soap solution was added
in test tube 2. Then, 5mL of stock synthetic detergent was added to test tube 3.
4. Each solution was mixed by shaking and allowed to stand for 3-5 minutes.
5. The mixture was poured into the waste container. All test tubes were cleaned and
dried.
6. Three test tubes were labeled and placed 2mL of stock soap solution in each test tube.
2mL of 1% CaCl2 solution was added to test tube 1 and 2mL of MgCl2 solution to test
tube 2. 2mL of 1% FeCl2 solution was added to test tube 3. Each tube was shaked to
mix the solutions and the observation was recorded.
7. 4 drops of mineral oil were added to each test tube and shake them. Let the solutions
stand for 3-5 minutes.
8. Step 6-7 was repeated using 2mL of stock detergent solution. Which solutions form
precipitate was observed?
9. The solution was recorded.
10. The mixture was poured into was container. The test tube was cleaned and dried.
11. 5mL of stock soap solution was placed in cine clean test tube and 5mL of stock
detergent solution in a second test tube. 1 drop of 1M HCl was added at a time to both
solutions until pH in each tube was 3. The number of drops of acid added was
recorded.
12. 1 drop of mineral was added to each test tube in step 11 and it was shaken for 5
minutes.

Comparison of the cleaning abilities of a soap and detergent

1. The two beakers were cleaned, dried and labeled. 20mL of stock soap solution was
placed in the first beaker and the second beaker was filled with 20mL liquid dynamo.
2. Two clothes test strips were obtained with soaked in tomato sauce. One strip was
placed in each beaker and repeated stirred each solution for 5 minutes.
3. The strips were removed from the soap and detergent solution. The excess was
squeezed out. The observation was recorded by visually compare each strip to
determine their relative cleanliness.

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RESULTS
Soap Preparation
Mass of Filter Paper (g)
Mass of Filter Paper + Soap (g)
Mass of Soap Recovered (g)

0.3044
24.3113
24.0069

Comparison of Soap and Detergent Properties

Brand
name
of Dynamo
synthetics detergent
pH of soap solution
10.01
pH
of
synthetics 7.79
detergent solution
System
Distilled Water
Soap
Detergent
Hard and Acidic
System
CaCl2
MgCl2
FeCl3
System
Acidic

Emulsification Occurred
No
Yes
No

Precipitate
Soap
Yes
Yes
Yes
pH = 3
Soap
7 drops HCL

Detergent
No
No
No

Oil Emulsified
Soap
Detergent
No
No
No
No
No
No

Detergent
3 drops HCL

Cleaning Comparison of Soap and Detergent

System
Observations
Soap solutions
Very clear
Synthetic detergent solution
Clear
CALCULATIONS
Soap Preparation
Mass of soap recovered = (mass of filter paper + soap) - (mass of filter paper)
= 24.3113g 0.3044g
= 24.0069g

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DISCUSSION
Once the soap has been prepared, the soap is then compared with detergent with several tests.
For the emulsification test with mineral oil, we can observe that only distilled water is not
emulsified in the oil while soap and detergent are emulsified. The reason being is that water
and oil cannot be mixed together due to difference in density. For soap and detergent, both
solutions can emulsified in the oil because their molecule contain a polar hydrophobic and
polar hydrophilic. By having both polar and non-polar region in the molecule, they are
soluble in both polar and non-polar species. The hydrophobic (polar) portion of soap and
detergent are soluble in non-polar compound like grease and oils. That is why soap and
detergent are emulsified in the oil. Emulsion is a fine dispersion of minute droplets of one
liquid in another in which it is not soluble or miscible. The formation of emulsion happens
due to the droplets of organic phase held in suspension in aqueous phase.
Next, both are tested for hard by using CaCl2, MgCl2 and FeCl3 and acidic conditions
by using HCL. Based on the observation, it is noticed that soap solution formed precipitates
while in detergent solutions they do not formed precipitates for each of the system. In this
experiment, the soaps are made from sodium fatty acids which are soluble in water. However,
in the presence of the metals ions in the systems, the Na+ soluble salts convert to insoluble
Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe3+ which cause the formation of scums or precipitates. However, the
precipitates are less compare with the soap solutions. The soaps and detergent solutions also
had been tested with a few drops of mineral oils in the systems where both of the soap and
detergent does not emulsify.
What can be observed is, in the soap solutions there is formation of emulsified in each
system, while for the detergent solution there is no formation of emulsified in each system.
Next, both of the soaps and detergent solutions are tested with a few drops of acid which is
HCl. It was observed that the soap solutions will form precipitate while detergent do not form
any precipitate.
The last test for both soaps and detergent are in terms of their cleaning abilities. In
the experiment it can be observed that the soap solutions cleaned the cloth strip better than
the synthetic detergent. The reason being is that maybe the cleaning is using distilled water as
the system not the sources from the hard water for soap and detergent. That is why soap has
better cleaning abilities compare to detergent.

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CONCLUSION
In the experiment, the soap was successfully prepared and the comparison of properties of
soap and detergent, which are precipitation, emulsification and cleaning abilities, are made
and observed. The abilities of forming precipitates can be seen clearly in soap solution
whereas detergent forms no precipitates at all. Based from the experiment, we can conclude
the experiment was successful as the objectives are achieved. It is proven that soap and
detergent have different properties and also their cleaning abilities. Also, soap is not suitable
for cleaning in the hard water due to the formation of precipitates which reduce the
effectiveness of the cleaning unlike detergent that forms less precipitates or scum for cleaning
in the hard water. However, based on the experiment conducted, soap has better cleaning
abilities compare to detergent when tested to clean a cloth stained with tomato sauce. The
reason being is that the cleaning is using distilled water as the system not the sources from
the hard water for soap and detergent thus, explaining why soap has better cleaning abilities
compare to detergent.

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RECOMMENDATION
There are a few recommendations that will significantly produce better observations which
will not deviate much from the theoretical observations. Firstly, the solution has to be well
stirred in preparing the stock soap solution to make sure that all the chemicals are thoroughly
mixed and react better during the tests. Secondly, to get the accurate value of pH, both
solution need to be cooled before the pH value was determined because the value of pH of
the solution when warm and cool were different. Thirdly, rinse the electrode of the pH meter
with distilled water before taking the pH reading of the mixture so that it stays in a stable pH
(neutral) and will get a more accurate reading. Lastly, the waste product must be poured into
the waste container that already prepared in the lab before clean and dry the test tube or any
apparatus that were used.

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REFERENCES
12. References
Engineering Chemistry Lab (CHE 485).
Chemistry The Central Science 11th edition, Pearson International Edition (2009);
BROWN, LeMAY, BURSTEN, MURPHY.
Mithu Majumdar. (2012). Cleansing Actionof Soap. Retrieved May 19,2013, from
http://education.fapsnewdelhi.net/cleansing-action-of-soap/
Organic Chemistry(third editions), R.T.Morrison & R.N.Boyd,1973, Allyn and
Bacon,Boston.
AUS-e-TUTE .(n.d).Chemistry Tutorial : Soaps and Saponification. Retrieved May
19,2013,
from
http://www.ausetute.com.au/soaps.html
Charles E. Ophardt. (2003). Soap. Retrieved May 19,2013, from
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/554soap.html

APPENDICES

Tomato sauce stained cloth washed with detergent

15

Tomato sauce stained cloth washed with soap

16