Soaps Flashcards

1
Q

How are soaps made?

A
  • Made by boiling animal or vegetable fats with a strong base (usually NaOH)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What do Fats and Oils contain

A

Contain large multi-ester molecules called triglycerides

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is Soaponification and How does it work?

A
  • The process of creating soaps
  • An example of a hydrolysis reaction (reverse of esterfication)

When fats / oils are heated with NaOH the triglycerides break up to form sodium salts and glycerol

Triglyceride + NaOH -> Glycerol + Sodium Salts of Fatty Acids (Salt)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Explain the Action of soaps

A
  • Able to clean because they can bond with both polar and non-polar substances
  • Hydrophobic tails embed in the dirt/ grease due to formation of dispersion forces
  • Hydrophilic head forms a very strong ion-dipole bond with the water molecules
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are Miscelles?

A
  • When soaps molecules completely surround a dirt particle
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What does Dissolving Soap / Detergent in water do?

A

Lowers the surface tension of the water.

The soap (surfactant) breaks the hydrogen bonding between the molecules and the water spreads out onto the surface rather than remaining in a droplet.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Explain the action of soaps in hard water

A
  • Hard water contains higher levels of calcium and magnesium ions
  • These ions bond with the carboxylate ions of soap to form a solid precipitate known as Scum
  • Scum reduces the number of soaps ions avaliable to form micelles thus soaps don’t clean
  • Detergents don’t form scum
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the types of Detergents and what are their uses

A

Detergents are synthetic

Anionic - Negatively charged ion head, used for laundery/dishwashing detergent, good lather and harsh action (heavy duty)

Cationic - Postively charged ion head, used for fabric softeners, hair conditioners, disinfectants - Bond very strongly to negatively chagred surfaces and kills bacteria

Net-ionic: dishwasher detergents / glass cleaners - Low lather formation (little foam buildup in dishwashers)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly