Question

Cleansing action of soap is due to the formation of micelles.

• A. True
• B. False

Answer 1

The correct option is A True

Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty acids.

A soap molecule consists of a long hydrocarbon chain and a short ionic part. The hydrocarbon chain of soap molecule is hydrophobic in nature (water repelling) whereas ionic part is hydrophilic in nature (water attracting).

When soap is dissolved in water, the hydrocarbon chain gets attached to the dirt. However, the ionic end aligns with the water molecule. This results in the formation of micelles, which is an aggregate of the soap molecules, as shown below.