CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Soap is a class of products that serves for cleaning of human, property and surrounding.  Hence, soap in its various forms, is in high demand in all society.  For generations its use has increased until its manufacture has become an industry essential to the comfort and health of civilized man.  In fact, modern civilization may be gauged by the per capital consumption of soap and detergents.

Soap a classical example of detergent (cleaning agent) – differs from detergent in processes of manufacture and chemical composition.  These result in differences in action.

 Soap depends for its washing action on the fact that its molecules possess one ionic (polar, water – attracting or hydrophilic)  end and one covalent (non-polar, water repelling or hydrophobic) end which attracts oils and greases.  Thus, soap molecules can make water and oils come into an emulsion which can be washed away.  This is the modern concepts of surface active agents or surfactants; soap, detergents, emulsifiers, wetting agents and penetrants.

Soap is not, however, satisfactory, as it forms a scum (precipitate of insoluble calcium and magnesium salts) in hard and acidic waters.  Synthetic detergents, on the other hand, do not form a scum in hard or acidic water as their calcium and magnesium salts are solute, are usually more soluble in water than soap is; enable water to spread and penetrate more fully over or through an article being cleaned and can generally be used equally well under alkaline or acidic conditions.

Soaps are essentially the sodium or potassium salts of various fatty acids, while detergents are very complex mixtures of many substances, all chosen to impart a particular action in cleaning.  The polar end of the detergent molecule consists of sulphonic acid ( - SO3H) or hydrogen sulphate (-OSO3H) group present in the form of its sodium salt to increase solubility.  The non-polar end of the detergent molecule is a long alkyl – substituted benzene chain.  Extensively branched chains are not biochemically degradable and such detergents cause pollution in rivers and sea wage waters.

Soap also contains additives for some desired qualities.  These include salt, soda ash, sodium silicate, sodium bicarbonate, perfume, colour, citric acid, borax, magnesium sulphate, and trisodium phosphate. A combination of inexpensive builders, e.g. soda ash with more effective (and expensive) tetrasoium pyrophosphate or sodium triphasphate, is sometimes superior to the phasphate used alone.

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