Student Name: Tai Zi Jun Student Number: 18078 Class: S2HE

Topic: SPM Chemistry (Form 5) - Chapter 5: Chemicals for Consumers (Worksheet 03)
Date: 16-9-2022

SPM Chemistry (Form 5) - Chapter 5: Chemicals for Consumers (Worksheet 03)

The Cleansing Action of Soap and Detergent

1. The cleansing action of soap or detergent depends on their chemical bonding and
structures.
a. The ionic ‘head’ (negatively-charged) is soluble in water (hydrophilic) but insoluble
in oil.
b. The long hydrocarbon ‘tail’ (neutral) is insoluble in water (hydrophobic) but soluble
in oil.
2. Steps of cleansing action:
a. Step 1 - Action of soap on dirt.
i. When soap or detergent is mixed with water, it lowers the surface tension of
water and wets the dirty surface.
ii. The negatively-charged ‘heads’ of soap or detergent ions dissolve in water
(hydrophilic).
iii. The hydrocarbon ‘tails’ of soap or detergent ions dissolve in the layer of
grease (hydrophobic).
b. Step 2 - Dirt being surrounded by soap/detergent ions.
i. If the water is agitated slightly, the grease begins to lift off the surface.
c. Step 3 - Lifting dirt from cloth.
i. On further agitation during washing, the greasy dirt is lifted from the
surface since the density of grease is less than water.
d. Step 4 - Emulsifying dirt in water.
i. When the water is shaken, the grease will be emulsified when it breaks into
smaller droplets known as micelle.
ii. These greasy droplets repel one another because they carry the same charge.
As a result, the grease is suspended in the solution.
iii. When the cloth is rinsed with water, the droplets will be carried away.
3. Soaps and detergents can act as emulsifying agents to emulsify oil and grease. The process
of emulsification breaks large drops of grease into smaller droplets that float in water.
4. When soap or detergent is added to clean water, the ‘head’ of the soap or detergent ion
dissolves in water while the ‘tail’ sticks out from the surface of water.
a. The ‘heads’ of the soap or detergent ions will weaken the forces of attraction
between water molecules and lower the surface tension of water.
b. When the surface tension is lowered, the water molecules will spread out and wet
the cloth or plates to be cleaned.
c. Hence, soaps act as wetting agents.
5. Modern detergents used for washing clothes usually contain a few types of additives to:
a. Increase their cleaning power.
b. Make them attractive and saleable.
6. Only about 20% of the substances in a detergent are cleansing agents (sodium alkyl
sulphate or sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate). The other substances are additives.
7. The examples of additives and their functions are:
a. Bleaches or whitening agents: Remove coloured stains.
b. Builders: Soften hard water.
c. Biological enzymes: Remove protein or blood stains.
d. Brighteners: Make clothes look brighter and whiter.
e. Drying agent: To keep the detergent dry condition.
f. Perfume: To make clothes smell fresh and clean.
g. Stabilisers: To prevent formation of foams in excess.
h. Antiseptics: Kills microorganisms that cause diseases or odours.
 Student Name: Tai Zi Jun Student Number: 18078 Class: S2HE
Topic: SPM Chemistry (Form 5) - Chapter 5: Chemicals for Consumers (Worksheet 03)
Date: 16-9-2022

8. Advantages of Soaps:
a. Soaps are effective cleansing agents in soft water, that is, water that does not contain
magnesium (Mg2+) and calcium (Ca2+) ions.
b. Soaps do not cause pollution problems to the environment.
i. This is because soaps are made from chemicals found in animals and plants.
ii. This means that soaps are biodegradable.
9. Disadvantages of Soaps:
a. Soaps are ineffective in hard water, that is, water that contains magnesium and
calcium salts.
i. Soaps will react with Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions to form a precipitate called scum.
Scum is a grey solid that is insoluble in water. It consists of magnesium
stearate and calcium stearate.
ii. Thus, soaps do not lather (a frothy white mass of bubbles) in hard water.
b. Soaps are also not effective in acidic water, for example, rainwater containing
dissolved acids.
i. H+ ions from acids will react with soap ions to produce fatty acid molecules
of large molecular size that are insoluble in water.
10. Advantages of Detergents:
a. Detergents are cleansing agents that are effective in soft water as well as hard water.
i. This is because detergents do not form scum with Mg2+ ions and Ca2+ ions
found in hard water.
ii. The magnesium salts and calcium salts which are formed are soluble in
water.
iii. Hence, scum is not formed and the detergents are still active in hard water
and lathers easily.
b. Detergents are also effective in acidic water because H+ ions in acidic water do not
combine with detergent ions.
11. Disadvantages of Detergents:
a. Most detergents have branched hydrocarbon chains and are non-biodegradable.
b. Phosphates in detergents act as fertilisers and promotes the growth of water plants
and algae – eutrophication.
c. Detergents produce a lot of foam in water.
i. The layer of foam that covers the water surface will prevent oxygen from
dissolving in water.
 This condition will cause fish and other aquatic life to die from
oxygen starvation.
d. Additives such as sodium hypochlorite (bleaching agent) releases chlorine gas in
water that is acidic.
i. Chlorine gas is highly toxic and kills aquatic life.
12. The cleansing agents for window glass or mirrors are volatile liquids. The chemicals usually
used in the cleansing agents are isopropyl alcohol (propan-2-ol). Ammonia is added to
enhance the cleansing power.