1 SOAP AND DETERGENT

CHEMICAL FOR CONSUMER

SOAP
What is soap?
Soap is sodium salt or potassium salt of long-chain fatty acids.
What is fatty acids?

General formula
RCOONa+

or

RCOOK+

R: containing 12 to 18 carbon atoms. It can be saturated or

unsaturated. [please refer to fatty acids in carbon compound]
The history of soap manufacturing

Soaps can be prepared through saponification.

What is saponification?
The saponification process is the process of hydroliyzing fats
or oil under alkaline conditions.

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Therefore,
The saponification process involves boiling fats or oils with
concentrated sodium hydroxide to produce glycerol and the
sodium salts of fatty acids or soaps.
General equation

Fats/oils + concentrated alkalis soap + glycerol

What is fat?
Fats/oils are natural ester that produce by combination of fatty
acid with glycerol.
What happen to the fat during saponification?
Fats/oils undergoes hydrolysis in alkali condition and then
break up to fatty acid and glycerol.Alkaline
Then, hydrolysis
fatty acid will
react with alkali to form sodium salts of fatty acid (soap).
Consider this reaction;
Fats/oil in concentrated sodium hydroxide Fatty acid + glycerol
Fatty acid + alkali/sodium ion sodium salt fatty acid/soap +
water
Overall: Fats/oil + alkali/sodium ion soap + glycerol

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Preparation of soap by saponification

STEP 1: Palm oil and concentrated sodium hydroxide solution

is poured into a beaker, heated, stirred until it boiling

[the layer of oil dissaperar] and cooled.
Glass rod
Beaker

Wire gauze

Palm oil
Concentrated sodium
hydroxide solution

Tripod stand

Bunsen burner

STEP 2: Water and a few spatulas of sodium chloride was added,

boiled again and cooled. White precipitate is formed

Spatula
and floats on the surface of the mixture.
Sodium chloride
Distilled water

Precipitation
of soap is float

Mixture of fatty acids,

salts and water

Sodium chloride reduces the solubility of soap in water,

therefore soap is easily to precipitate and floats.
3

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STEP 3: Mixture is filtered by filter paper.

Filter paper
Residue
(soap)

Mixture of fatty acids,

salts and water
Filter funnel
Conical flask

Filtrate

STEP 4: Solid soap is washed with distilled water to remove

excess alkali and salt.

Residue (soap)

Distilled water

Filtrate

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Procedure:
1. 10 cm3 of palm oil is measured with measuring cylinder
10ml and poured into a beaker 250ml.
2. 50 cm3 of concentrated sodium hydroxide solution 5 mol dm3
measured with measuring cylinder 50ml and poured in the
beaker.
3. The mixture is heated and stirred with glass rod until its
boiling for 5 minutes. Then, the flame is turned off and the
mixture is left to cool.
4. 50 cm3 water and a few spatulas of sodium chloride was
added to the mixture and boiled again for 5 minutes. Then,
the flame is turned off and the mixture is left to cool.
[white precipitate is formed and floats].
5. The mixture is filtered with filter paper, and the residue
(soap) is washed by distilled water.
Example:
Palm oil + sodium hydroxide sodium palmitate

+ glycerol

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Soap
Sodium palmitate
Sodium stearate
Sodium oleat

Chemical formula
CH3(CH2)14COONa
CH3(CH2)16COONa
CH3(CH2)CH=CH(CH2)COOK

Potassium soap is usually used for bathing because its more softer
and milder than sodium.

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DETERGENT
What is detergent?
Detergent is sodium salt for sulphonic acid. Sulphonic acid is
an organic acid with chain lengths of 12 to 18 carbon per
molecule.
Two common detergent;
i. Sodium alkyl sulphate
R

O Na+

O Na+

ii. Sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate

R

(R represent hydrocarbon chain that contain 12 to 18

carbon)
Types of detergent
(a) Anionic detergent
(b) Cationic detergent
(c) Non-ionic detergent

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Sodium alkyl sulphate & Sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate are

anionic detergent.
PREPARATION OF SODIUM ALKYL SULPHATE
Step 1: Sulphonation

Step 2: Neutralization
The alkyl sulphonic acid is neutralized by using sodium hydroxide.

Alkyl sulphonic
acid

Sodium
hydroxide

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PREPARATION OF SODIUM ALKYLBENZENE SULPHONATE

Step 1: Alkylation

Long chain
alkene
Step 2: Sulphonation

Alkyl benzene

Concentrated
sulphuric acid

Step 3: Neutralization

+ NaOH
Sodium
hydroxide

Na+
Sodium
alkylbenzene
sulphonate [D]

Water

End