Introduction
Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of higher fatty acids. The higher fatty
acids may be such as stearic acid (C₁₇H₃₅ COOH), palmitic acid (C₁₅H₃₁COOH).
A soap molecule has a lipophilic (oil soluble) part and a hydrophilic (water
soluble) part. Soaps are used for washing purposes. When soap is shaken
with water, it produces foam which is responsible for removal of dirt. A soap
which produces more foam is more effective in cleansing.
The cleansing action of soap can be explained keeping in mind that a soap
molecule contains a non-polar lipophilic group and a polar hydrophilic group.
The dirt is held on the surface of clothes by the oil or grease which is present
there. When soap is applied, the non-polar alkyl group dissolves in oil
droplets while the polar −COO⁻ Na⁺ group remains dissolved in water. In this
way, each oil droplet is surrounded by negative charge. These negatively
charged oil droplets cannot coalesce and a stable emulsion is formed. These
oil droplets containing dirt particles can be washed away with water.
Washing or cleansing capacity of soap decreases in hard water. Hard water
contains Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ Ions which interact with soap to form curdy ppt. of
calcium and magnesium salts of higher fatty acids.
AIM:
Compare the foaming capacities of different samples of soaps.
REQUIREMENTS
100 ml conical flasks with corks, 20 ml test-tubes, 100 ml measuring
cylinder, 50 ml measuring cylinder, test-tube stand, weight box and stop-
watch.
Different samples of soaps and distilled water.
THEORY
There is no quantitative method for the determination of foaming capacity of
a soap. However, the foaming capacity of different soaps can be compared
qualitatively by the following way.
Solutions of different soaps are prepared by dissolving their equal weights in
equal volumes of distilled water. These solutions are shaken vigorously to
produce foam and then they are allowed to stand. Time taken for the
disappearance of foam in a given sample of soap, greater is its foaming
capacity.
PROCEDURE
1. Weigh 0.5 g of each of the different samples of soap provided to you.
2. Dissolve each of these weighed samples in 50 ml of distilled water separately, in
different conical flasks. Label the solution obtained as 1, 2, 3, 4......
3. Take 20 ml test tubes (equal to the no. of soap samples to be tested) and add 10
ml of distilled water to each of them. Then add 1 ml of different soap solutions
separately in different test-tubes and correspondingly mark the test-tubes as 1, 2,
3, 4 etc.
4. Cork test-tube no. 1 tightly and shake it vigorously for 30 seconds. Place the tube
in test-tube stand and start the stop-watch immediately. Note time in which the
foam just disappears.
5. Similarly, note the time for the disappearance of foam in the other test-tubes and
record the observations.
Foaming capacity of water increases. In order to demonstrate this the foaming capacity
of the given sample of soap will be determined first in distilled water, then in tap water
and finally in tap water containing sodium carbonate.
PROCEDURE
Weigh 0.5 g of the given sample of soap and dissolve it in 50 ml of distilled water taken
in a conical flask.
Take three test-tubes and label them as 1, 2 and 3. To the first tube add 10 ml of
distilled water, to the second add 10 ml of tap water and to the third add 5 ml of tap
water and 5 ml of 0.10 M Na
2
CO
3
Solution.
To each of the three test-tubes add 1 ml of soap solution.
Cork test-tube No. 1 tightly and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Place the test-tube in
test-tube stand and start the stop-watch immediately. Note the time in which the foam
just disappears.
Similarly, note the time for the disappearance of foam in the remaining two test-tubes
and record the observations.
