AIM:

To study the comparative cleaning capacity of a sample of soap in soft and hard water.

The Theory

Soft water: Water which produces good lather with soap is called soft water. When water
falls as rain, it is naturally soft. Washing with soap is easy in soft water.
Hard water: Water which does not produce good lather with soap is called hard water. It is
difficult to wash with soap in hard water. Water seeping through the ground becomes hard
water. It is not useful for laundry and laboratory purposes.

Cleaning Capacity of Soap with Hard and Soft Water

When soap is added to hard water, the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions present in hard water react
with soap. The sodium salts present in soaps are converted to their corresponding calcium
and magnesium salts which are precipitated as scum. The insoluble scum sticks on the
clothes and so the cleaning capacity of soap is reduced.

The cleaning action of soap is very effective in soft water because it contains negligible
calcium and magnesium ions.

Materials required:

 Two test tubes

 Distilled water
 Well water
 2 g Calcium chloride
 Two glass rods
 Liquid soap
 Measuring cylinder
 Measuring scale

Procedure:

 Take two test tubes labelled as A and B.

 In test tube A, put 2ml of distilled water using a measuring cylinder.
  In test tube B, add 2 ml of distilled water. To this, add 2 g of calcium chloride and stir
with a glass rod till it dissolves.
 Add 2-3 drops of liquid soap in both the test tubes A and B.
 Close its mouth with the thumb and shake both the test tubes A and B thoroughly 10
times in upward-downward direction.
 It is observed that lather has formed in the test tubes.
 Measure the length of foam and the final length of the soap solution with the
measuring scale.

Observations:

Test Soap solution Initial length of Final length of Length of

Tube soap solution soap solution Foam
(cm) (cm) produced
A With distilled water
( soft water)
B With distilled water
+ calcium chloride
( Hard water)

Conclusion:
Sample A has soft water and produces more lather with soap.

Sample B has Hard water and produces less lather with soap.

Precautions:

 Use the same sample and same weight of soap for the test tubes A and B.
 While stirring the soap solution, do not spill any solution out of the test tube.
 Give equal number of shakes to the test tubes A and B in the same way, without
spilling any soap solution.
 Immediately measure the length of foam produced.