Consumer AND Industrial Chemistry

CHAPTER 5
CONSUMER
AND
INDUSTRIAL
CHEMISTRY
5.2 Cleaning agents
Students are able to:
• 5.2.1Describe soap and detergent.
• 5.2.2 Describe soap preparation process
• 5.2.3 Compare the cleansing action of soap and
detergent
5.2.1 Soap and Detergent.
What is soap?
Soaps are sodium or potassium fatty acid salts.
Soaps are produced from the neutralisation
reaction between fatty acids and alkalis.
Fatty acids are long-chain carboxylic acids.
Sources of fatty acids can be obtained from
natural esters in animal fats or vegetable oils.
The general formula for soap is RCOO−Na+ or RCOO−K+.
R is an alkyl group containing at least 8 carbon atoms.
However, this alkyl group usually contains 12 to 20 carbon
atoms.
R consists of saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons.
Table 5.2 shows examples of soaps:
Figure 5.4 shows an example of the structural formula of soap which is
sodium palmitate, CH3(CH2)14COONa.
What is detergent?
The production of detergents began during the second world

war owing to the lack of animal fats and vegetable oils.
Detergents are non-soap cleaning agents.
Detergents are sodium salts of sulphonic acids.
Two types of sulphonic acids used to make detergents are alkyl sulphonic acid and alkylbenzene
sulphonic acid as shown in Figure 5.5.
Detergents are usually made from synthetic sources, such as petroleum

fractions.
Table 5.3 shows two general groups of detergents.
Preparation of Soap
Soaps can be prepared from natural sources through hydrolysis of oils or fats
in sodium hydroxide, NaOH or potassium hydroxide, KOH solutions.
This reaction is called saponification, which is the process of hydrolysis of
oils or fats by alkalis.
Oils or fats react with concentrated alkalis to produce glycerol and fatty acid
salts, which is soap.
General equation of saponification reaction
 Oils and fats are natural esters known as triglycerides.

Alkaline hydrolysis on triglicerides will produce glycerol and soap (salts of fatty acids) as
shown in Figure 5.6.
R1, R2 and R3 are long chain hydrocarbons. R1, R2 and R3 may be the same or different.
Preparation of Detergents
 Detergents are usually made from petroleum fractions and

sulphuric acid, H2SO4.
 They are produced through two processes which are:
(a) Sulphonation
(b) Neutralisation
Cleansing Action of Soap and Detergent
Basically, the cleansing action of soap and detergent is the same.
Soaps and detergents act as emulsifying agents because soap and detergent
molecules are soluble in oil or grease and water.
When soap or detergent is dissolved in water, soap or detergent molecules dissolve
to form:
• (i) sodium ion, Na+ or potassium ion, K+.
• (ii) soap anion or detergent anion.
Examples of equations for ionisation of soap and detergent:
Referring to Figures 5.8 and 5.9, the structures of soap anion and detergent
anion consist of two parts, namely:
• (i) hydrophilic part that is soluble in water.
• (ii) hydrophobic part that is soluble in oil or grease.
Both of these properties make soap and detergent effective cleaning agents.
Figure 5.10 describes the cleansing action of soap and detergent.
Soap
+
+ Soap
+ ion
+
+ +
+
+
+ Sodium
ion +
Grease/ oil
Permukaan
Clothkain
+
+ +
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Grease/ oil
Permukaan kain
Cloth
+
+ +
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
Grease/ oil
Permukaan
Cloth kain
+
+
+
+
+
+ + +
+
+
Grease/ oil
Permukaan kain
Cloth
+
+
+ + + +
+
+
+
+
Grease/ oil
Permukaan
Clothkain
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
Grease/ oil
Permukaan kain
Cloth
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
Grease/ oil
Cloth
+ +
+ +
+
+ +
+
Grease/ oil +
Cloth
+
+
+ + + +
+
+
+ Grease/ oil +
Cloth
+
+
+ +
+ + +
+
Grease/ oil +
Cloth
+
+
+ + +
+ +
+
Grease/ oil
+
Cloth
+ +
+ +
+ +
+
+
+ Grease/ oil
+
Cloth
+ +
+
+
+ +
+
+
+
Cloth
+ +
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Cloth
+ +
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Cloth
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
+
+
Cloth
Soap
+
+ Soap
+ ion
+
+ +
+
+
+ Sodium
ion +
Grease/ oil
Permukaan
Clothkain
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
Grease/ oil
Permukaan kain
Cloth
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
Grease/oil
Cloth
+
+
+ +
+ + +
+
Grease/oil +
Cloth
+ +
+ +
+ +
+
+
+ Grease/ oil
+
Cloth
+ +
+
+
+ +
+
+
+
Cloth
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
+
+
Cloth
END OF
CLEANING AGENTS

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Consumer AND Industrial Chemistry

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CHAPTER 5

The production of detergents began during the second world

Detergents are usually made from synthetic sources, such as petroleum

 Oils and fats are natural esters known as triglycerides.

 Detergents are usually made from petroleum fractions and

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