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Soap Project Written Report.mht
What is Soap? Soap is a surfactant made from mixing fat and ashes or base solutions. Surfactants Surfactant is another name for soap and detergents because they reduce surface tension. It is the short-form way of saying “surface acting agents”. Surfactants act like magnets. They have both a positive and negative side. The head of the surfactant is negative and the tail is positive. Because every solution has a certain pattern throughout the entire space that it takes place of, when a different molecule enters the solution, attractions are made and hence, the surface tension is changed. When surfactants enter a container of a solution, the surfactant’s head will penetrate and break the bonds of the solution by attractions between the soap surfactants and the oppositely charged solution molecules. By breaking these bonds, the solution’s surface tension is changed. Uses of Soap and Detergents What is the use of soap? At this point, you must be thinking, "to clean yourself, what else? I’m not stupid." Well yes, it is true. However, there are other uses of soap too. Besides its cleaning abilities, soap has another great physical property. It is very slippery. Because of this, soap is a useful lubricant for many different types of areas. For example, soap is a lubricant in making tiny wires for electrical appliances such as television sets and telephones. Also, the making of aluminum foil requires soap as a lubricant. Other uses for soap consist of washing away polish in the making of jewelry. It holds rust preventors in suspension in antifreeze solutions for automobile engines. Leather is softened by soap before the making of shoes, handbags, wallets, etc. Another use of soap is to make the glossy and slick papers used in different magazines and books. Detergents can be useful in a wide range. You can find detergents in some cosmetics. Chemical sprays for agricultural uses often contain detergents. The petroleum industry uses detergents to increase crude oil production. To make synthetic rubbers, chemical manufacturers use detergents. Raw materials such as cotton, silk and wool can be softened by washing them in detergent before making them into different types of clothing. The History of Soap Since ancient times, cavemen have realized that water is a good way to wash off mud. The earliest found date for the usage of soap is 2800 BC. Soap compounds found in Babylonian clay jars, were inscribed that the substance consists of fats boiled with ashes, which is the basic receipt for making soap. In 1500 BC, a medical record from the Egyptians mentioned the uses of soap like material to bath made out of vegetable and animal oil with alkaline salt. The Greeks did not use soap for bathing, but instead used it for washing cloths in streams. By second century AD, soap became popular among the Romans for medical purposes and cleaning in their luxurious bath. The craft of soap making established in Europe during the 7th century. Varieties of soap created at the time were used to shampoo, bath, and do laundry. Soap making and manufacturing became more and more popular over the centuries. In 1791, Nicholas Leblanc, a French chemist, developed a process to make Sodium Carbonate, an alkali, from common salt. This was essential in the process of mass-producing soap. The ammonia process introduced by Ernest Solway in the mid-1800 reduced the cost of making the alkali. There was a shortage of fat and oil during WWI. German chemists developed a synthetic cleaning product that was more effective and did not leave soap crud, which is the substance form by soap and mineral in the water. 50 years before the end of the century, detergent has dominated the world of dishwashing, laundering, and housekeeping. The Differences between Soap and Detergent Soap and detergents are very similar; they are both surfactants and well, the both clean things. However, they are not the same thing. Soap is made of materials found in nature, and therefore is more “natural” than detergents. Detergents, on the other hand, are made from synthetic ingredients (although some are natural). Detergents were first created in World War 2 when oil, an ingredient needed for soap, was scarce. Hence, soap is better for your heath and the environment than detergents. Detergents are very toxic to fish and other wildlife. Well since soap has been around for centuries and they are better for our health and environment, why make detergents? This is a very common question that people asks. Well soaps and detergents behave differently in hard water. Soap reacts with hard water and forms a scum. It is not easy to wash away this scum and can turn laundry grayish hue. This scum is insoluble and leaves a film residue on your laundry that is very much similar to what you see in your shower stall where hard water is present. Where does food get their colour and scent? Like most personal products, soap uses food colouring to give it its much colourful appearance. A combination of Yellow 10 and Green 5 can make a soap bar look olive green. Although food colourings make a product more attractive to buy, there are some potential dangers to using food colourings, since some causes allergic reactions to occur. The potential danger of using untested soap bar is unknown. Therefore, buying branded and regulated bars are the best way to go. The fragrance of bar soap comes from the different esters used in the recipe. A reaction between an alkanoic acid and alkanol produces esters. Disadvantages of Soap Soap deprives the skin of oil. The reaction between soap and the top layer of the skin not only removes oil from your skin, but also damages the protein structure. This leads to rougher skin and could lead to unpleasant skin conditions. In addition, soap salts that emulsify dirt and oil are natural alkaline and will bring the skin’s acidic pH level up. This can also cause skin conditions such as swelling. The fatty acid part of the soap molecule can also plug the follicles or pores of the skin and cause acne. Soap reacts and results in damage fabric. Because is basic, it can sometimes react with different materials that get onto your clothing and make little holes in them. Soap and lime reacts together to form an insoluble deposit. (Explained in the 2nd paragraph of “The differences between soap and detergent”) Hard Water Most people misunderstand what hard water really is. When they here those two words, they naturally assume the literal meaning of it and gets the feeling that it is HARD water. This means that they are imagining water that is denser and is very similar to solid state. This is true to some levels. Hard water means that the water contains large amounts of minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which are the two most common minerals that make water “hard”. The density of the water then changes because there was more mass per liter. The water however, does not actually become a solid state. Soap Molecule A soap molecule is composed of two sections, the head and the tail. The head of a soap molecule is ionic and hydrophilic, meaning that it has a charge and will attract to water, which is slightly polar. On the other side of the soap molecule, the tail is hydrophobic, which is non-polar, this means that the tail dislikes water and will turn away from it. It prefers substances such as fat and oil. How does soap work? There are three types of lipids (fats): Tri-glyceride, Phospholipids, and Cholesterol. Soap is a type of lipid (fat) called Phospholipids. Phospholipids contain fatty acids on the tail of the soap molecule (hydrophobic side) and a phosphate group on the head (hydrophilic side). Because the tail of the soap molecule is hydrophobic, it will turn away from the surrounding water molecules and attach itself to the grease. However, the head of the soap molecule is hydrophilic and ionic, causing it to turn towards the water and “hold onto” the water because of polar attractions. Now imagine soap molecule covering the entire grease spot. In other words, the grease would have a coating of soap molecule (this is called a micelle). Since the micelle has a surface of only the hydrophilic end of the soap molecule, it attract to water molecules due to the ionic bonding of water and the water will wash the micelle away. Experiment 1: Purpose: To show the effect of the micelles. Materials: - Small beaker - Hot water - Drops of oil - Drops of dishwashing liquid - Stirring stick Procedure: Fill the small beaker with hot water. Add drops of oil into the beaker of water. Add drops of dishwashing liquid into the beaker of water. Stir. Observations: After stirring, the spots of grease disappeared from the beaker. Bubbles replace the grease. Conclusion: The soap molecule’s tail sticks to the grease and the head sticks to water molecules. Soap molecules cover themselves all around the grease spot creating a micelle. The micelle spreads all over the water making the oil drops disappear Experiment 2: Purpose: To show surface tension and hydrogen bonding in water and soap. Materials: - Thumbtack (plastic ones work best) - Water filled beaker - Toothpick - Dishwashing liquid Procedure: Carefully place the thumbtack into the beaker of water so that it floats. Plastic thumbtacks float best because of surface tension. With a clean toothpick, poke the surface of the water near the thumbtack. Give someone another toothpick, and ask him or her to repeat what you have just performed. Observations: The thumbtack would remain floating even after you have poked the surface with a toothpick. However, after your volunteer has poked the surface with their toothpick, the thumbtack would sink. Explanation: The toothpick that used by the volunteer was previously prepared by putting a little dishwashing liquid at the ends. Hence, when the volunteer pokes the surface of the water with the toothpick, they are breaking the hydrogen bonds in the water, and lowering the surface tension, thus resulting in the thumbtack sinking. Water normally has high surface tension because each water molecule arranges in a very neat order, almost like a solid. The hydrogen bonding between each molecule gives then a strong connection and therefore a stronger surface. Surface tension is measured in N/m, Newton per metre. The more closely bonded the molecules are the higher the energy per meter. By adding a drop of detergent, or any other types of surfactant, the soap (or surfactant) molecule will disrupt the surface tension by attracting water molecule and breaking hydrogen bonds. Because the bond between the hydrophilic head of the soap molecule is not as strong as the original hydrogen bond, the water loses surface tension and allows the tack to sink. Surface Tension The process of cleaning requires the reduction of surface tension by soap. Surface tension is caused by equilibrium of attraction. Molecules are inter-attracted, meaning that molecules are attracted third-dimensionally throughout the container in which they are in. This creates a sort of a pattern, where the attractions are all equal. However, the attractions at the between the molecules at the surface are different from the ones below. Those produce stronger attractions towards each other, in the same “layer”, because they do not have any others to attract to. This surface creates a “skin”, similar to the type of skin that can be found on milk surfaces when heated. This skin is surface tension. pH Researchers say it is better to have soap that has pH of 7 because it is neutral, meaning that the soap will not burn skin from acidic or basic material. However, Clearwater BC of Canada states that the most effective and best soaps are between the pH of 9 and 10 (alkaline on the pH scale) because they clean the skin’s surface and leave the layers underneath untouched. This is an important factor because most “good” commercial soaps, especially beauty soaps, takes overwhelming amounts of natural protective oils made by the skin, leaving the skin unable to repair itself, thus leaving the itchy feeling. pH-balanced soap is another type of the scam. pH-balanced soap has the same pH as skin (slightly acidic <7). This type of cleanser will also drain skin of its natural oils. The following table contains the average ph of various brands of soap Soap Testing Results Soap Maker & Brand Soap Characteristics Litmus Paper pH Test 1 pH Test 2 pH Test 3 Average of Tests pH paper color A & F Pears does not froth well has chunks red paper turned blue 9 8.5 8.5 8.7 blue-green Dial Travelodge Hotel very thick froth red paper turned blue 8 8 8 8 green ESA Heritage Inn thick red paper turned blue 8 8 8 8 green Henkel Fa Fresh creamy red paper turned blue 8 8 8 8 green Neutrogena very watery and chunky red paper turned blue 8 8 8 8 green Marietta, Jergens Days Inn "cottage cheese" with froth red paper turned blue 8 8 8 8 emerald green Marietta Ramada Hotel fairly chunky with a flat froth red paper turned blue 8 8 8 8 green Proctor& Gamble Zest clumpy red paper turned blue 8.5 8 8 8.2 green Unilever Dove somewhat frothy with chunks red and blue turned purple 7 7 6.5 6.8 paper did not change color Imperial 400 milky red paper turned blue 8.5 8 8 8.2 green Environmental Concerns The production of detergents leads to many different environment concerns that the manufacturers nor the public expected, which is not very surprising. One of the biggest problems is that certain bacteria feeds on natural wastes and breaks them down into harmless substances. Soap molecules can be rapidly broken down and never really did cause problems. However, these bacteria cannot break down detergent molecules. Keeping all of their foaming abilities, the surfactants will foam up the sewage plants, rivers, and lakes. Foam was even found in some drinking water. Another major problem involves the chemical phosphate. The use of phosphate in detergents makes sure that the dirt cleaned by the detergent does not settle back onto the cleaned material. Phosphates are very effective and inexpensive. Also, bacteria and the sewage do not change them. When phosphate gets into lakes and rivers, they act like huge doses of fertilizer. Algae, a tiny plant like organism, multiply at an extremely fast rate and choke other water life. When the huge masses of algae die and decay, they use up the oxygen in the water so that fish cannot breath. What are Detergents? Detergents are the synthetic version of soap. They are composed of surfactants and builders. Below are examples of materials that make up the surfactants and examples of builders of a detergent. Materials used to create surfactants Some examples of Builders -Petroleum -Constituents -Coal Tar Derivatives -Cracking Gases -Chemically modified fatty acids -Phosophate -Metasilicates -Carbonates There are three kinds of detergents: Anionic Detergents, Cationic Detergents, and Nonionic Detergents. Anionic detergents are composed of an organic compound and an inorganic compound. The organic, water soluble side has a positive charge and the water insoluble side has a negative charge. They are stable foaming agents but are sensitive to hard water and pH changes. Most soaps are anionic. Cationic detergents are produced when halides react with primary, secondary, or tertiary fatty amines. Their soluble side has a negative charge and their water insoluble side has a positive charge. They can reduce surface tension and act as a wetting agent in an acid media. There would be no detergent action when formulated into an alkaline solution. Nonionic detergents do not have a charge on either end. They are not affected by water hardness or pH levels. One advantage of a nonionic detergent is its low to medium foaming property. Examples of two nonionic detergents are Alkylphenol Ethoxylates, Alcohol Ethoxylates.
