EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CLEANSING ACTION OF SOAP AND DETERGENT

The effectiveness of soaps as a cleaning agent reduces when it is used in
 - hard water (contains calcium & magnesium ions)
 - acidic water (contains hydrogen ions)

HARD WATER


Soap - reacts with magnesium or calcium ions to form an insoluble precipitate ( soap scum )
         - formation of the scum  reduce the amount of soap used for cleaning

Detergent - reacts with magnesium or calcium ions to form soluble substances
                - detergent does not form scum in hard water

ACIDIC WATER


Soap - hydrogen ions in acidic water react with the soap to form insoluble long-chain fatty acids
         - the formation reduces the amount of soap used for cleansing

Detergent - hydrogen ions in acidic water reacts with the detergent to form soluble acids
                - does not form precipitate in acidic water.

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CREATE BY CHEMIST'S GULRZ

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