What is soap and detergent?
Answers
Explanation:
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties in dilute solutions.[1] These substances are usually alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate (of detergents) is less likely than the polar carboxylate (of soap) to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water.
In house contexts, the term detergent by itself refers specifically to laundry detergent or dish detergent, as opposed to hand soap or other types of cleaning agents. Detergents are commonly available as powders or concentrated solutions. Detergents, like soaps, work because they are amphiphilic: partly hydrophilic (polar) and partly hydrophobic (non-polar). Their dual nature facilitates the mixture of hydrophobic compounds (like oil and grease) with water. Because air is not hydrophilic, detergents are also foaming agents to varying degrees.
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid[1] used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting the term usually refers toilet soap, used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industry, soaps are used as thickeners, components of some lubricants, and precursors to catalysts.
When used for cleaning, soap solubilizes particles and grime, which can then be separated from the article being cleaned. Where soaps act as surfactants, emulsifying[2] oils to enable them to be carried away by water.
Soap is created by mixing fats and oils with a base[3], as opposed to detergent which is created by combining chemical compounds in a mixer.
Humans have used soap for cleaning for millennia. Evidence exists of the production of soap-like materials in around 2800 BC in ancient Babylon.
Answer:
Soaps are the sodium or potassium fatty acids salts produced from hydrolysis of fats in a chemical reaction called saponification.
each soap molecule has a long hydrocarbon chain which is called as tail, with a carboxylate head. When used in hard water forms scum. It is biodegradable in nature.
Detergent is a water-soluble cleansing agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble.Can be used in hard water.It is non biodegradable in nature.