Question

A) structure of soap and detergents. b) chemical formulas for both.

Answer 1

STRUCTURE OF DETERGENTS  

       A detergent consists of two parts:

        Hydrophilic part (water soluble)

        Hydrophobic part (oil soluble)

   Hydrophilic part

   Hydrophilic part is sodium salt which is readily soluble in water. e.g. –SO3-, –OSO3-, OH- or NR4.

   This part of a detergent is ionic and is attracted by polar water molecules.

   Hydrophobic part

   hydrocarbon part of detergent is called hydrophobic part. It is non-polar . Hydrophobic part is insoluble in        water but it is soluble in oil. This part consists of a hydrocarbon segment and can dissolve oil or grease.