Question

explain the mechanism of the cleaning action of soap

Answer 1

Cleansing action of Soaps and detergents: Most of the dirt is oily in nature and oil does not dissolve in water. The molecule of soap constitutes sodium or potassium salts of long chain carboxylic acids. In the case of soaps the carbon chain dissolves in oil and the ionic end dissolves in water. Thus the soap molecules form structures called micelles .In micelles one end is towards the oil droplet and the other end which is the ionic faces outside. Therefore, it forms emulsion in water and helps in dissolving the dirt r when we wash our clothes.

The soap is a kind of molecule in which both the ends have different properties. The first one is the hydrophilic end which dissolves water and is attracted towards it whereas the second one is the hydrophobic end that is dissolved in hydrocarbons and is water repulsive in nature. If on the surface of water, soap is present then the hydrophobic tail which is not soluble in water will align along the water surface.

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Answer 2

A soap molecule is a sodium or potassium salt of long chain carboxylic acid. It consists of two parts, i.e., a long hydrocarbon tail and a negatively charged head. The hydrocarbon tail is hydrophobic, i.e., insoluble in water and repelled by water while the polar end is soluble in water and hydrophilic in nature. When soap is applied on a wet dirty surface, the polar end of the soap molecule dissolves in water while the non-polar end attaches it to dirt molecule, as dirt is non-polar in nature. This results in the formation of spherical clusters called as Micelles. In micelle the hydrophobic tails are in the interior of the cluster while the ionic ends are on the surface of the cluster. Due to ion-ion repulsion the micelle stay in the solution as a colloid and do not come together to form precipitate. Thus, an emulsion is formed which helps to dissolve dirt in water and it is finally washed with running water.