Question

Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of higher fatty acids. Fatty acids are carboxylic acids containing 12 or more carbon atoms. Detergents are sodium or potassium salts of sulphonic acids. They have SO3Na group and can even work with hard water. Soap forms an insoluble substance called residue with hard water. This is due to its reaction with the calcium and magnesium salts which cause the hardness of water. Thus, a larger amount of soap needs to be used. (i) What is saponification ? (ii) Which group is present in soaps ? (iii) What is micelle ? (iv) How does micelles dissolve dirt and greese ? (v) Which type of detergents are non-biodegradable ?

Answer 1

i) -COO and Na group is present in soap

ii) Michelle is an aggregate of molecules in a collodial solution , such as those are formed by detergents

Answer 2

Dear Student,

(i) Saponification -

Formation of soaps is called saponification.

(ii) Functional group in soaps -

Soaps contain -COONa group.

(iii) Micelle -

Micelle is aggregate of soap molecules in the solution.

(iv) Cleansing action of soaps -

When soaps dissolve in water, hydrophobic end of soap molecules concentrate around the dirt and form micelles. These micelles remove the dirt from clothes which is washed away with water.

(v) Non-biodegradable detergents -

Detergents which are not degraded by bacteria are called non-biodegradable detergents. For example, benzene sulphonate.

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