Some Important Chemical Compounds—Cleansing Agents

Cleansing Agents are formed due to the activity of soaps, synthetic detergents, or any other naturally occurring substance. Soaking, peptisation, emulsification, and solid soil particle stability are all part of cleansing agents. These processes occur in a highly dispersed solution of small solid particles distributed uniformly throughout the cleaning solution.

Types of cleansing agents

Soaps and detergents are used as cleansing agents. Soap is the sodium or potassium salt of higher fatty acids chemically. Detergents are sodium salt of alkyl hydrogen sulphates or alkyl benzene sulphonic acids.

C17H35COONa or sodium stearate is the chemical formulation for soap, while the chemical formulation for detergent is C18H29NaO3S.

• Soaps

Soaps are a common cleaning agent. The molecular structure of soaps is made up of long chains of molecules. At one end, we have the hydrophobic end (the tail) made from the hydrocarbon chain. These molecules repel water and stick themselves to the oils and the grease. Then at the head of the chain, we have the hydrophilic chain made up of anionic molecules.

Soaps have surface-active agents that are known as surfactants. They lower the surface tension of the water. The surfactants attach on one end to the water molecules, which allows the water to better wet the surface. At the other end, surfactants get stuck to oils and the dirt. Overall, they allow water to clean the surface better.

Chemical equation: 

Ester + Base → Alcohol + Soap

The chemical formulation of soap includes C17H35COO-Na+ and C15H31COO-Na+

Characteristics of soaps

Soaps have the following characteristics.

• Generally hard in nature: Soaps are generally hard in nature; they are solid.
• Cleansing action: Soaps are good at removing dirt and grime from various surfaces. In the cleaning process, soaps have two parts: a hydrophobic tail and a hydrophilic head. Both parts are equally vital.
• Formation of lather: Soaps lather up when they contact soft water.
• Conditioners: Emollients, found in many soaps, are responsible for moisturising our skin after washing our hands with soap.
• Scented: Soaps are usually scented with a distinct smell that is added to them. These smells help relax us, quiet our minds, and eliminate the odours from our bodies.

• Detergents

The other type of cleansing agent is synthetic detergents. These are similar to soaps as they have all the properties of soap, but they do not contain any soap at all—their chemical structure is different from soaps.

Detergent is derived from the Latin word ‘detergent’, which means ‘to wipe off’.

One of the greatest advantages of detergents over soaps is that detergents can work in any condition, unlike soaps. They can work in normal water as well as hard water. They do not form scum in hard water. Some detergents can even work in ice-cold water.

The concentration at which micelle formation starts is known as critical micelle concentration.

Detergents are long chains of molecules, just like soaps. One of the types of molecules is hydrocarbons made of carbon and hydrogen atoms. These hydrocarbons are derived from fats, oils, fatty acids, and many more. The other things depend on the type of detergent. 

Characteristics of detergents

• Even with hard water, detergents clean well.
• They tend to soften water.
• Laundry detergents generate micelles that include an organic chain of lipids and oils and an ionic section that contains dirt and dust.

Differences between soaps and detergents

Natural cleansing agents

Natural cleansing agents consist of a chemical called saponinwhich produce lather when it is shaken with water. Soap nuts and soap pods are naturally obtained cleansing agents. 

Some natural cleansing agents, apart from soap nuts and soap pods, are:

• Vinegar
• Chickpea powder And turmeric
• Milk
• Cucumber and curd
• Honey
• Coconut oil
• Yoghurt
• Lemon

Conclusion

Both detergents and soaps possess a critical chemical property-they’re Cleansing Agents. In other words, they reduce the face pressure of water. There are still some differences between them. Detergents are natural products and lower the danger to mortal skin and the terrain. Detergents are biodegradable and don’t produce pollution in our gutters and aqueducts. 

On the other hand, soaps will combine with the magnesium and calcium ions in hard water to produce an undoable residue that can clog rain spouts and stick to apparel. The hardness of a water sample can be gauged by the quantum of calcium carbonate that’s present.