What is soap?

If oil is added to water, the two liquids do not mix.

Because of this, grease stains can be difficult to remove
during washing.
Soaps are compounds
which act as emulsifiers.

soap molecule

water

This means that they

help the oil to mix
with the water.

oil

How do soaps work?

How are soaps made?

Soaps are usually made from vegetable fats and oils.
These consist of 3 fatty acid chains, held together by a
glycerol molecule.

The reaction used to make soap from fats and oils is

called saponification.

How are soaps made?

What are soapless detergents?

Soapless detergents can be made from crude oil, rather than
vegetable oils or animal fats.
Soapless detergents are still made of long, hydrophobic
carbon chains, but the hydrophilic end of the molecule is a
sulfonate:

sodium octadecylsulfonate

hydrophobic end interacts

with oil molecules

hydrophilic end interacts

with water molecules

Soaps vs. soapless detergents

What are the advantages and disadvantages of soapless
detergents over soaps?
Soaps form a scum with hard water, meaning that it is
more difficult to produce a lather. Soapless detergents
react with the substances in hard water to form soluble
compounds, and so do not form a scum.
Soapless detergents can be made from the by-products
of the oil refining process, so can be cheaper to produce
than soaps.
Some soapless detergents are not biodegradable.
This means that they stay in the water system causing
froth in rivers and streams.

Biological and non-biological

detergents

Biological detergents
are soapless
detergents that
contain enzymes.
The enzymes
are used to break
down chemicals,
e.g. in stains on
clothes.

Non-biological detergents do not contain enzymes, but just

rely on the action of the detergent to remove grease and
stains from items.

Advantage or disadvantage?