Question

If you did not collect any data or are missing some data to complete this post-lab, then give your source of data here and give a brief explanation why you have missing data. If you use your own data you can go straight to question 1, no need to add anything here. Calcium chloride was added to the water in the "testing" experiments to simulate hard water. What was the effect of adding the calcium ions to the ability of the soap and the detergent to make foam compared to water alone? Summarize your observations nifty. in one sentence? Explain your observations on the effect of adding calcium chloride briefly, in one sentence? Disodium phosphate was added to the water in the "testing" experiments to simulate the addition of a water softening agent to the hard water. What was the effect of adding the phosphate ions to the ability of the soap to make foam compared to the simulated hard water alone? Summarize your observations briefly, in one sentence? Explain your observations on the effect of adding disodium phosphate briefly, in one sentence? Give ONE way in which soaps are preferable to detergents. Give ONE way in which detergents are preferable to soaps.

Answer 1

Ans 1. In case of soap solution with Ca²⁺ ions results in to the formation of insoluble calcium carboxylate salts resulting in a sticky scum while in case of detergent solution there is less precipitation of calcium sulfonate salts since they are pretty soluble in the hard water. (soap is a salt of fatty carboxylic acids and detergents is of sulfonic acid)

Ans 2. Explaination: Soap solution formed precipitation unlike detergebt solution an so the foamimg decreases in a soap rather then a detergent solution.

Ans3. Addition of Na₃PO₄ results in to the ion exchange from Ca²⁺ to Na²⁺ making hard water to soft.

Ans4. Results into the solublization of Ca²⁺ salts of carboxylic acids of soap making better foaming with water.

Ans5. A) Soaps are usually prepared using natural materials and superior quality soaps are produced with palm, castor, coconut, or olive oils, and retain the natural glycerin. They have a pH of 9.5 to 10 (alkaline) that makes them effective cleansing agents and eliminates the requirement for harmful antibacterial chemicals and preservatives unlike detegents. Thus soap is environmental friendly.

B)Soap reacts with Ca²⁺ ions in the water and form insoluble precipitates referred to as soap scum. This soap scum can form deposits on clothes causing them to be gray or yellow in color. But a detergent does not form precipitates with Ca²⁺ ions, reducing the discoloration of clothes due to the precipitated soap. Also detergent gives lather even with hard water while soap does not .Thus detergent is prefereed over soap.