Question

Mention few differences between soaps and detergents.
(3 marks)

Answer 1

Soaps:

• Soaps are sodium salt of long chain fatty acids and are prepared from animal fats or vegetable oils. (0.5 mark)
• Soaps are ineffective in hard water and it forms scum. (0.5 mark)
• It has poor foaming capacity and it is biodegradable. (0.5 mark)

Detergents:

• Detergents are sodium salts of sulphonic acids and it is prepared from hydrocarbons obtained from crude oil. (0.5 mark)
• It is effective even in hard water and does not form a scum. (0.5 mark)
• Detergents have rich foaming capacity and are non-biodegradable. (0.5 mark)