Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology (11th Edition)
Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology (11th Edition)
11th Edition
ISBN: 9780133923001
Author: Gerald Audesirk, Teresa Audesirk, Bruce E. Byers
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 2, Problem 1AC

Detergents help clean by dispersing fats and oils in water so that they can be rinsed away. What general chemical structures (for example, polar or nonpolar parts) must a soap or detergent have, and why?

Expert Solution & Answer
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Summary Introduction

To determine:

The general chemical structures that the soaps or detergents have, along with reasons.

Concept introduction:

Soaps and detergents are important for cleaning oils and dispersing fats in the presence of water. Then the dirt would be rinsed away. Soap is a mixture of salts (sodium and potassium) of fatty acids. It is composed when oils or fats react with an alkali by saponification. Detergent is a mixture of surfactants (alkyl benzenesulfonates) in which cleaning properties are present in dilute solutions.

Explanation of Solution

A soap and detergent having cleansing action rely heavily on the polar and non-polar structures among the solubility principles. An ideal soap or detergent must contain a long non-polar and hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain. Its polar end should contain the soluble salt of an alkali metal, such as sodium, potassium, or other.

The long hydrocarbon chain is non-polar and hydrophobic. Soap has ionic and hydrophilic “salt” end. The detergents have sodium salts composed of long-chain benzene sulphonic acids or alkyl sulfate.

Conclusion

Thus, cleansing action of soaps and detergents can identified through the polar and non-polar structures based on their solubility principles.

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Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology (11th Edition)

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