Question

what are the role of these materials in soap and detergent making

1. Coconut oil

2. Sodium perborate

3. sodium carbonate

4. Sodium tripolyphosphate

Answer 1

Soaps are made from many ingedients,

1. Coconut oil : Is the main ingredient of soap. The oil which is an ester, is hydrolyzed with a base mostly sodium hydroxide to form sodium salts of caboxylic acids and glycerol. this process is known as saponification. The formed sodium salts of acids are thus acts as surfactant in the soap and during cleaning process.

2. Sodium perborate : The main purpose of adding sodium perborate to soap is it acts as bleaching agent.

3. Sodium carbonate : Is a base. This is added in the soap to precipitate any insoluble salts in water as carbonates and make the water soft for better foam generation.

4. Sodium tripolyphosphate : This has several uses. the most important being it acts as cleansing agent and helps the surfactant in the soap to act freely. It also acts as buffer and prevents dust and oil from sticking on the surface of the fabric while cleaning.