SOAP AND DETERGENTS

OBJECTIVES
Characterize what soaps are made of and identify their common sources.
Distinguish raw materials and identify products for soap formation.
Write saponification reactions and other pertinent reactions involved in other

methods of making soap.

Outline and discuss the continuous process for converting fatty acids to soaps.
Define what detergents are and differentiate them from soap.
Define and classify principle ingredients of detergents.
Classify surfactants and recognize individual properties as these relate to detergent
formulation.

HISTORY

Washing industry usually known as the soap industry has roots over 2000 years in
the past.

Soap was never actually discovered, but instead gradually evolved from crude
mixtures of alkaline and fatty materials.

2800 BC
-First recorded evidence of the manufacturer of soap like materials
-Made from Fats boiled with ashes and water
7th century
-First to produce soaps from vegetable oils
13th century
-Soap Industry
19th century
Michael Chevreul
-discovered the relationship and chemical nature of fatty acids, glycerin and
fats
Nicholas Leblanc
-Patented a method of making sodium carbonate/Soda ash from salt
World war 1
-Germans developed Synthetic soap or detergents
-Composed short chain alkyl/naphthalene sulfonates
1940
-Alkyl aryl long chain sulfonates
1950-1960
-branched chain compounds
1960

-return to linear chains

DETERGENTS

Raw Materials
1. SURFACTANTS
- Any compound that affects surface tension when dissolved in water or water
solutions, or which similarly affects interfacial tension between two liquids.
-It performs the primary cleaning action.
Anionic Surfactants
Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) CH3(CH2)11C6H4SO3H
- Largest- volume synthetic surfactant because of its relatively low cost,
-

good performance.
Anionic surfactants with molecules characterized by a hydrophobic and a

hydrophilic group.
Produces by the sulfonation of linear alkylbenzene (LAB) with oleum in

batch reactors.
Fatty Acids
- Both saturated and unsaturated have long been employed in many
industries as both free acids, and, more, frequently, as salts.
Fatty Alcohol
- Excellent performance in varying water hardness
Non-ionic Surfactants
Alcohol Ethoxylate
- Higher detergency than LAS
2. INORGANIC MATERIALS
- Also called as Builders
- Boost detergent power.
- These are more than water softeners which sequester water-hardening Ca
and Mg ions.
- They prevent redeposition of soil from the wash water on fabrics.
Oleum (oil) or funning sulfuric acid
- Strong dehydrating agent
- Harsh reagent and highly corrosive
Caustic soda/Lye (NaOH)
- Used to hydrolyze fats
- Created via electrolysis of sodium chloride
Tri sodium phosphate(TSP)/ trisodium orthophosphate/sodium phosphate
Strong chemical typically used as a cleaning agent.
It has a pH of 12 which means it is an alkaline (have a powerful
capacity to penetrate greases of oils.
Manufacturers no longer use TSP due to ecological concerns.
Other builders
- Citrates (for heavy duty laundry products)
- Carbonates (for removing greases)
- Silicates (inhibit corrosion of stainless steel and aluminum by synthetic
detergents)
3. ADDITIVES
Corrosion inhibitors
- Protect metal and washer parts, utensils, and dishes from the action of
detergents and water.

 Carboxymethyk cellulose
- Antiredeposition agent
Tarnish inhibitors
- Carry on the work of the corrosion inhibitor and extend protection to

metals such as German silver.

Fabric brighteners
- Fluorescent dyes which as the ability to convert ultraviolet light to visible

light.
Bluings
- Improve the whiteness of fabrics by counteracting the natural yellowing
tendency.
Antimicrobial agents
Peroxygen-type bleaches

SOAP

Raw Materials
1. Tallow
- The principal fatty material in soap making.
- Contains the mixed glycerides obtained from the solid fat of cattle by steam

rendering.
- Tallow is commonly mixed with coconut oil to increase the solubility of soap.
2. Greases
- Second most important raw material (20% of the soap)
- Obtained from hogs or other smaller animals.
- Refined by steam rendering or by solvent extraction.
- Mostly not blended with other fats.
3. Coconut Oil
- Soap from coconut oil is firm and lathers well.
- It contains large portions of the very desirable glycerides of Lauric and Myristic acid.
4. Sodium Hydroxide
- A.K.A. caustic soda or soda lye
- This solution, when mixed with fats and oils, will cause a chemical reaction
called saponification.
5. Sodium Chloride
- Salt
- Many soap makers add a bit of salt to their soap to help increase the
-

hardness.
It does not result in an overall harder finished product, but it does make the

bar get harder quicker.

6. Sodium Carbonate
- A.K.A soda ash
- The addition of soda ash prevents hard water from bonding with detergent,
allowing for a more even distribution of the cleaning agent during the
-

washing cycle.
Soda ash is also very effective in removing alcohol and grease stains from

clothing.
7. Potassium Hydroxide
- A.K.A. caustic potash
- This is the chemical that induces saponification of the fats and oils to create
liquid soap.

Potassium Hydroxide is hygroscopic (meaning it attracts moisture)

8. Sodium Silicate
- It increases lather.
- It also improves the soaps ability to remove oils, which is where dirt hides and
sticks to your skin.
9. Sodium Bicarbonate
- A.K.A. baking soda
- Properties of Sodium Bicarbonate lend to natural odor control, gentle, nonscrubby exfoliate, and oil absorbing abilities.
10.Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)
- Cleaning agent

Tallo
w

Sodium
Silicate

Coconut
Oil

TS
P

Common

Soaps
Baking
Dish Detergents
Soda
- Dish detergents are made to remove tough grease and release the solid dirt
particles in the foam that is produced by the detergent.
Laundry soaps
-

Laundry soaps are formulated to eliminate grease, solid particles and organic
compounds from clothes. They can be found in liquid, powder and gel forms.

Personal soaps
-

This kind of soap is made in many forms and special formulations for specific
personal hygiene needs. One type of the personal soap is the antibacterial
soap that is made to prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading. There are also
body and hair soaps that have a mix of ingredients that cleans both the skin and
hair.

Beauty soaps
-

Beauty soaps are produced to feature attractive fragrances, and ingredients for a
variety of skin types. They can feature glycerin, or special oil blends.

Medicated soaps
-

Medicated soaps and original soap are very similar. Unlike original soap,
medicated soap has the addition of antiseptics and disinfectants.

Differences and Similarities of Soaps & Detergents

Detergent differ from soap in their action in hard water.

DETERGENTS
Detergents may react with hard

SOAP
Soaps form insoluble compounds with

water ions but the resulting products

the calcium and magnesium ions

are either soluble or remain

present in hard water. (The insoluble

colloidally dispersed in the water.

compounds precipitate out and

reduce foaming and cleaning action)

Table 29.2.

Illustrates the

differences between soaps and detergents in composition and manufacture.

Detergents and soaps have water-attracting (hydrophilic) groups on one end of the
molecule and water-repelling (hydrophobic) groups on the other that used in dirt
removal.

Manufacture
1. Long-establishes kettle process
- Mainly used by small factories or for special and limited production.
2. Continuous Alkaline Saponification
- The basic chemical reaction in making of soap is called Saponification
3NaOH + (C17H35COO)3C3H5 3 C17H35COONa + C3H5(OH)3
Caustic Soda + Glyceryl stearate Sodium stearate + Glycerin
*Glycerol stearate is a naturally derived fatty acid, most often used as an
emulsifier. It is derived from palm kernel, vegetable or soy oil and is also
found naturally in the human body.
*Sodium stearate is produced as a major component of soap
upon saponification of oils and fats.

*Glycerin is thought to be a humectant, which means that it can attract

-

moisture.
The procedure is to split or hydrolize the fat and then after separation from

the valuable glycerin to neutralize the fatty acids with a caustic solution.
The usual fats and oils of the commerce are not composed of the glyceride of

any one fatty acid but of a mixture.

However, some individual fatty acids of 90% purity or better are available

from special processing.

The soap maker chooses the raw materials according to the properties
desired, with due consideration of the market price.

Hot Process and Cold Process

Differs in:
-

Use of external heat

Time take to saponify
Cure time
Aesthetic