Question

Write any three differences between soaps and detergents?

Answer 1

The long-chain carboxylic acids that contain sodium and potassium salts are called soaps. The saponification process is used for the production of soaps.

The long-chain carboxylic acids that contain sulphonate and ammonium salts are called detergents.

The main differences between soap and detergent are:

Soaps	Detergents
1. Soaps are produced from animal fats and vegetable oils.	1. Detergents are synthetically prepared.
2. Soaps are biodegradable in nature.	2. Detergents are non-biodegradable in nature.
3. Soaps are not effective in saline and hard water because they produces inorganic precipitates in hard water with Calcium (${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$) and Magnesium ions (${\mathrm{Mg}}^{2+}$).	3. Detergents are effective in saline and hard water because they do not produce inorganic precipitates in hard water with Calcium (${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$) and Magnesium ions (${\mathrm{Mg}}^{2+}$).
4. Soaps have the tendency to form scum in hard water. Example: Sodium stearate, Sodium palmitate	4. Detergents do not form scum in hard water. Example: Sodium lauryl sulfate