Soaps and Detergents - Preparation, Difference, Examples, FAQs

Soaps and Detergents - Preparation, Difference, Examples, FAQs

Team Careers360Updated on 02 Jul 2025, 04:48 PM IST

Soaps and detergents are used everywhere in our daily lives for ourselves, our homes, and our environment to be clean and hygienic. From waking up from bed to going to bed, we use these chemical compounds one way or another—starting from washing our hands with soaps to washing our clothes using detergents. Whereas they are ubiquitous in our daily lives, many among us take for granted the science behind cleaning agents and their impacts on our lives. The paper will present the soaps and detergents, their constitution, properties, and how they are applied in everyday life.

This Story also Contains

  1. Understanding Soaps and Detergents
  2. Types and Features
  3. Synthetic Detergents
  4. Applications in Real Life and Consequences
  5. Some Solved Examples
  6. Conclusion
Soaps and Detergents - Preparation, Difference, Examples, FAQs
Soaps And Detergents

Probably the most interesting thing about soaps and detergents is their ability to adapt to various situations or environments. On the mild extreme are balanced-pH formulae in baby shampoos, while on the opposite extreme are heavy-duty grease-cutting detergents used industrially—so cleaning agents are formulated to suit their users' needs. In personal care, soaps and detergents will become very instrumental in maintaining hygiene and containment from various diseases. Probably one of the most practical measures to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases is washing one's hands as frequently as possible with soap and clean water—something the COVID-19 pandemic made very clear.

Understanding Soaps and Detergents

Soaps and detergents are amphipathic molecules, meaning they have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions of the molecule. This unique characteristic gives them the capability of cleaning surfaces as well as lifting grease and dirt. Soaps are obtained by the reaction of fatty acids with an alkali metal; detergents on the other hand are tailor-made synthetic chemical compounds that mimic the soaps' cleaning action. They may or may not contain a soapy element.

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Sodium or potassium salts of higher fatty acids such as lauric acid(C11H23COOH), palmitic acid(C15H31COOH), etc. are called soaps. Sodium salts of fatty acids are known as hard soaps and potassium salts of fatty acids are soft soaps. Shaving creams and liquid soaps are soft whereas others are hard. Soaps are generally obtained by the hydrolysis of oils and fats with aqueous alkali. The process is called the saponification of oils and fats. Fats and oils are triesters of higher acids and glycerol. Hard soaps are prepared from cheap oils fats and sodium hydroxide. They contain free alkali and are used for washing purposes. Soft soaps are prepared from good oils and potassium hydroxide. They do not contain free alkalis and are used as toilet soaps, shaving creams, and shampoos. Transparent soaps are prepared by dissolving the soap in ethanol and then evaporating the excess solvent. Medicated soaps are soft soaps and are prepared by adding some antiseptics like Dettol, salons, etc. In some soaps, deodorants are added. Toilet soaps are prepared by using better grades of fats and oils and care is taken to remove the excess alkali. Colors and perfumes are added to make them attractive. Shaving soaps contain glycerol to prevent rapid drying. A gum called rosin is added while preparing these soaps. It forms sodium rosinate which leathers well. Laundry soaps contain fillers like sodium resonate, sodium silicate, borax, and sodium carbonate.

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Why do soaps not work in hard water?

Hard water contains calcium and magnesium ions. These ions form insoluble calcium and magnesium soaps respectively when sodium or potassium soaps are dissolved in hard water.

$2 \mathrm{C}_{17} \mathrm{H}_{35} \mathrm{COONa}+\mathrm{CaCl}_2 \rightarrow 2 \mathrm{NaCl}+\left(\mathrm{C}_{17} \mathrm{H}_{35} \mathrm{COO}\right)_2 \mathrm{Ca}$
Soap Insoluble calcium stearate(Soap)

These insoluble soaps separate as scum in water and are useless as a cleansing agent. In fact, these are hindrances to good washing because the precipitate adheres onto the fibre of the cloth as a gummy mass. Hair washed with hard water looks dull because of this sticky precipitate. Dye does not absorb evenly on cloth washed with soap using hard water, because of this gummy mass.


Types and Features

Soaps and detergents can also be classified into several classes based on their chemical makeup and properties. Anionic detergents, like sodium lauryl sulfate, exhibit good cleaning ability and find use in laundry detergents and shampoos. The cationic detergents find major use mostly as fabric softeners and disinfectants. Non-ionic detergents do not contain charged heads and find main application in dishwashing liquids and personal care products.

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Synthetic Detergents

Clearly, synthetic detergents are an advance in cleaning. Some of them are very strong substitutes for traditional soaps. Synthetic detergents are chemical compound designed to work like a soap but will overcome some of the shortcomings of the latter, especially in hard water. They have equal cleaning action for household purposes, just the same as for industrial cleaning, because, unlike soap that forms insoluble compounds with hard water minerals, they do not lose their washing power.

The paper shall be on composition, types, and real-life applications that make synthetic detergents important for a myriad of purposes. We will start with an overview of synthetic detergents—what they are chemically and how they are different from soaps. Thereafter, we shall start classifying the various kinds of synthetic detergents by type, showing their various properties and applications. The last section makes some inferences about the usages of these synthetic detergents in relation to everyday life: their use in washing clothes and dishwasher use, and quantification of associated environmental impact in view of an increasingly sustainable compound formulation trend. By the end of this paper, the reader shall have clarity on what these synthetic detergents are and what their critical roles in modern cleaning practices have become.

These are also called synthetic detergents syndets soapless soaps or just detergents. They have cleansing power as good or better than ordinary soaps can be used for washing even with hard water and do not precipitate in the presence of $\mathrm{Ca}^{2+} / \mathrm{Mg}^{2+}$ or in acidic solution.
A synthetic detergent is the sodium salt of a long-chain alkyl hydrogen sulfate or the sodium salt of a long-chain benzene sulphonic acid. Like soap, they contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts in the molecule.

Detergents are mainly classified into three categories, namely:

1. Anionic Detergents:

Anionic detergents are sodium salts of sulfonated long-chain alcohols or hydrocarbons. Alkyl hydrogen sulfates formed by treating long-chain alcohols with concentrated sulphuric acid are neutralized with alkali to form anionic detergents. Similarly, alkyl benzene sulphonates are obtained by neutralizing alkyl benzene sulphonic acids with alkali.

In anionic detergents, the anionic part of the molecule is involved in the cleansing action. Sodium salts of alkyl benzene sulphonates are an important class of anionic detergents. They are mostly used for household work. Anionic detergents are also used in toothpaste.

2. Cationic detergents:

These are mostly acetates, chlorides, or bromides of quaternary ammonium salts containing one or more long-chain alkyl groups. Being more expensive than the anionic detergents, they find limited use. But these detergents are also used in hair shampoos and hair conditioners. Such detergents, however, possess germicidal properties and are used quite extensively as germicides. Examples are trimethyl stearyl ammonium bromide, cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, or N-benzyl quaternary ammonium chlorides.

3. Non-ionic detergents:

They are neutral surface active detergents obtained from long-chain alcohols by treatment with ethylene oxide in the presence of a base. One such detergent is formed when stearic acid reacts with polyethyleneglycol.$\mathrm{CH}_3\left(\mathrm{CH}_2\right)_{16} \mathrm{COOH}+\mathrm{HO}\left(\mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{O}\right)_2 \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{OH} \xrightarrow{-\mathrm{H}_2 \mathrm{O}} \mathrm{CH}_3\left(\mathrm{CH}_2\right)_{16} \mathrm{COO}\left(\mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{O}\right)_3 \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{OH}$

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Applications in Real Life and Consequences

Soaps and detergents are in great demand for individual hygiene, disinfection, and cleaning of a person's surroundings. One of the most benevolent practices to arrest infectious diseases like COVID-19 is handwashing, which can be performed with soap and water. Dishwashing liquids will keep the dishes free from food remains and bacteria, and laundry detergents remove stains and odors from clothes.

Extensive application of the soaps and detergents, however, opened an avenue of concern about the effect of the products on the environment. Phosphates are primary components of most traditional detergents and often enhance the eutrophication of the water bodies, resulting in a situation whereby oxygen is greatly reduced, killing the aquatic life. In response to such concerns, eco-friendly and biodegradable alternatives have been invented that include plant-based detergents and soaps manufactured from natural ingredients.

The study of soaps and detergents forms part of the academic curriculum designed to introduce a student to the principles of chemistry, especially the divisions of organic and surface chemistry. This includes the chemical reactions in the preparation of soaps and detergents and various factors that would have an effect on their cleaning effectiveness like pH, water hardness, and temperature.

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Some Solved Examples

Example 1

Question: Which one of the following cannot be used as soap?

1. Stearic acid
2. Oleic acid
3. Palmitic acid
4. Bithional

Solution: Bithional acts as an antiseptic and is not used as soap. Stearic acid, Oleic acid, and Palmitic acid can be used as soaps. Hence, the answer is option 4.

Example 2

Question: Which of the following is used in the reaction called saponification?

1. Strong base
2. Strong acid
3. Hydrogen
4. Nickel

Solution: In the saponification reaction, fat or oil reacts with a strong base (NaOH) to produce soap molecules. Hence, the answer is option 1.

Example 3

Question: Soft soaps are the limitation of the hot process because of their

1. High alkalinity
2. Low alkalinity
3. Low solubility in water
4. High solubility in water

Solution: Soft soaps are more soluble in water, which is a limitation of the hot process. Hence, the answer is option 4.

Example 4

Question: Which one of the following is true about floating soaps?

1. These are made by beating tiny air bubbles before their hardening
2. These are made by dissolving soap in ethanol, then evaporating excess solvent
3. These are made by adding substances of medicinal value like Dettol, etc.
4. The soaps contain glycerol and rosin forming sodium resonate for lather

Solution: Floating soaps are made by beating tiny air bubbles into the soap before it hardens. Hence, the answer is option 1.

Example 5

Question: Transparent soaps are made by dissolving soap in which of the following solvents?

1. Methanol
2. Acetone
3. DMSO
4. Ethanol

Solution: Transparent soaps are made by dissolving the soap in ethanol and then evaporating the excess solvent. Hence, the answer is option 4.

Conclusion

Soaps and detergents have, therefore, become very essential commodities in our everyday life, keeping us clean, and hygienic, and ensuring good health. As we continue to use these chemical compounds, it becomes very necessary to also take into consideration the effects they are having on the environment and try to find more environmentally friendly ways. We learn the science of soaps and detergents to make conscious decisions and help in cleaning and healthy living.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are the potential long-term effects of using antibacterial soaps and detergents?
A:
Long-term use of antibacterial soaps and detergents may contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. There are also concerns about the environmental impact of antibacterial agents and potential disruption of beneficial bacteria on the skin. Regular soap has been shown to be equally effective for general hygiene purposes in most situations.
Q: How do soaps and detergents interact with different types of fibers (natural vs. synthetic)?
A:
Different fibers interact differently with soaps and detergents. Natural fibers like cotton tend to absorb more water and detergent, while synthetic fibers like polyester are more hydrophobic. This affects how easily stains are removed and how much detergent residue may remain after washing. Detergents are often formulated to work effectively on a range of fiber types.
Q: What is the difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable surfactants in detergents?
A:
Biodegradable surfactants can be broken down by microorganisms in the environment into simpler, less harmful compounds. Non-biodegradable surfactants persist in the environment and can accumulate, potentially causing long-term ecological issues. Many modern detergents use biodegradable surfactants to reduce environmental impact.
Q: How do soaps and detergents affect the colorfastness of fabrics?
A:
Harsh soaps and detergents can potentially fade or alter fabric colors, especially with repeated use. Many modern detergents are formulated to be color-safe, using gentler surfactants and including ingredients that help protect dyes. However, hot water and excessive washing can still affect colorfastness over time.
Q: What is the purpose of adding enzymes to laundry detergents, and how do they work?
A:
Enzymes are added to laundry detergents to target specific types of stains. For example, proteases break down protein-based stains, lipases target oily stains, and amylases work on starch-based stains. These enzymes catalyze the breakdown of specific molecules, making stains easier to remove during washing.
Q: How do soaps and detergents affect the surface tension of water, and why is this important for cleaning?
A:
Soaps and detergents lower the surface tension of water by disrupting the hydrogen bonding between water molecules at the surface. This allows water to spread more easily and penetrate fabrics and surfaces, improving its ability to wet and clean effectively.
Q: What are the main differences between liquid and powder detergents in terms of their composition and effectiveness?
A:
Liquid detergents typically contain more water and are easier to dissolve, making them effective in cold water. Powder detergents often contain more builders and are generally more effective on ground-in dirt. Liquid detergents are usually better for greasy stains, while powders excel at lifting dirt.
Q: How do soaps and detergents affect the pH balance of skin and hair?
A:
Soaps are typically alkaline and can disrupt the natural acidic pH of skin and hair, potentially leading to dryness or irritation. Many modern detergents and synthetic cleansers are formulated to be pH-balanced or slightly acidic to minimize this disruption.
Q: What is the role of foam boosters in detergents, and are they necessary for cleaning?
A:
Foam boosters increase the amount of foam produced by detergents, which consumers often associate with cleaning power. However, foam itself is not necessary for cleaning effectiveness. In fact, some high-efficiency washing machines work better with low-foaming detergents.
Q: How do soaps and detergents affect the dyeing process of fabrics?
A:
Soaps and detergents can affect fabric dyeing by altering the surface properties of fibers or leaving residues that interfere with dye absorption. In textile processing, special detergents are often used to prepare fabrics for dyeing by removing impurities without leaving interfering residues.