STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Soaps and detergents has become an inevitable part of our life. A number of

soaps are available in the market, but the characteristics of each have certain variations.

The extent to which the foam produced by soap exists, the cleansing action of soap

exhibits quite a bit of deviations from one another. Through this project we aim to

prepare soap and find the variations in foaming capacity among various brands.
 OBJECTIVE

i. To prepare a soap

ii. To study the foaming capacity of different soap samples

 INTRODUCTION

Soaps are mixtures of sodium or potassium salts of higher fatty acids. They
are usually obtained by the hydrolysis of oils and fats with sodium or potassium
hydroxide. The alkaline hydrolysis of oil and fat is called saponification.

Soaps act as cleansing agent by decreasing the surface tension of water. When
soap is shaken well with water, it produces foam which is responsible for removal of dirt.
A soap which produces more foam is more effective.

The washing capacity of soap depends on its foaming capacity, i.e, the extent
to which it produces foam with water. The foaming capacity also depends on the quality
of water used. If soft water is used, soap easily produces lot of lather. On the other hand,
if hard water is used, even good quality soaps will not produce lather. The reason being
that hard water contains magnesium and calcium ions which form insoluble magnesium
and calcium salts of carboxylic acid which in turn, precipitate out in the form of a scum.

2 C17H35COONa + Ca 2+ → (C17H35COO)2 Ca + 2 Na+

2 C17H35COONa + Mg 2+ → (C17H35COO)2 Mg + 2 Na+

However, if hard water is first treated with sodium carbonate, magnesium and calcium

ions present in it are precipitated as their insoluble carbonates.

The foaming capacity of soap depends upon the nature of the soap and its

concentration. This may be compared by shaking equal volume of solution of different

samples of soaps having the same concentration with the same force and for the same

period of time. The longer the time taken for the disappearance of foam in the given

sample of soap, greater is its foaming capacity or cleansing capacity. Distilled water
readily forms foam with the soap solution since it doesn’t contain calcium or magnesium

ions. In contrast, tap water contains calcium and magnesium ions and thus does not easily

produce foam when treated with a soap solution.

2 C17H35COONa + M2+ → (C17H35COO)2 M + 2 Na+

If sodium carbonate is first added to tap water, the calcium and magnesium

ions present in it will get precipitated as their corresponding insoluble carbonates and the

filtrate left after the removal of these insoluble carbonates would readily produce foam

with the soap solution.

Ca 2+ + Na2CO3 → CaCO3 + 2 Na +
 PROCEDURE
Preparation of soap:

Weigh 15g of sodium hydroxide pellets and sodium chloride and dissolve

both separately in 50 ml water and 200 ml water respectively. Add NaOH solution to

50ml coconut oil slowly with continuous stirring and heat the solution for10-12 minutes.

Add NaCl solution into this, stir continuously and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Transfer

the contents into a mould.

Comparison of foaming capacity of soaps:

Weigh 0.2 g of each sample and add into 20 ml of distilled water separately in

different conical flasks. Transfer 10 ml of each solution into different test tubes and label

them separately. Shake the test tube vigorously for 1 minute and place it on test tube

stand. Star the stopwatch immediately and note the time taken for the foam to disappear.

Effect of addition of sodium carbonate on foaming capacity of washing soap:

Weigh 0.2 g of the sample and add into 20 ml of distilled water separately in

three different conical flasks. Transfer 10 ml of each solution into different test tubes and

label them separately. To first test tube add 10ml of distilled water, to second add 10ml

tap water, to third add 5ml tap water and 5ml 0.1M sodium carbonate solution. Place the

test tubes on test tube stand and start the stopwatch immediately. Note the time taken for

the foam to disappear.

 MATERIALS REQUIRED

 Conical flask

 Beaker

 China dish

 Glass rod

 Measuring cylinder

 Test tubes

 Sodium hydroxide

 Sodium chloride

 Sodium carbonate

 Distilled water

 Coconut oil
 OBSERVATIONS

Comparison of foaming capacity of various soaps:

SL. NO: SAMPLE TAKEN TIME TAKEN

1 Rin 19 min 4 sec

2 No: 1 13 min 24 sec

3 Lux 16 min 28 sec

4 Dr. wash 25 min 15 sec

Effect of sodium carbonate on foaming capacity of Rin soap:

SL. NO: WATER USED TIME TAKEN

1 Tap water 9 min 41 sec

2 Distilled water 35 min 24 sec

3 5ml tap water + 5ml Na2CO3 30 min 28 sec

 DATA ANALYSIS

Among the four samples taken, the foaming capacity of all soaps is different.

Foaming capacity of washing soap is found to be greater than that of toilet soaps. Among

the two washing soap samples, Dr. Wash is found to take more time for disappearance of

the foam; hence it has good cleansing action than Rin. Among the two toilet soap

samples, Lux is found to hold the foam for a longer time than No: 1.

Foaming capacity is dependent on the type of water sample. Tap water

contains much of the dissolved ions due to which the foaming capacity is significantly

reduced. The addition of sodium carbonate into tap water has enhanced the foaming

ability of soap and the foam lasted for a time span of 30 minutes. Distilled water is

devoid of any ions and result in retention of the foam for a longer duration.
 RESULT

Soap was prepared by following the principle of saponification.

The foaming capacity and the cleansing ability of the soaps chosen for the study follow

the order:

Dr.Wash > Rin > Lux > No: 1

Hence washing soap has greater foaming capacity over toilet soap.

Foaming capacity of Rin soap in different medium of dissolution follows the order:

Distilled water > Sodium carbonate solution > Tap water

 CONCLUSION

Soap could be prepared by following the process of saponification. Each soap

available has its own characteristic foaming capacities. Washing soap has more cleansing

ability than toilet soap as its lather is found to last for a longer time. Foaming capacity is

greatly influenced by the type of water sample that act as the medium of dissolution. It is

found that when tap water is substituted with distilled water, the foaming capacity was

enhanced tremendously.
 LIMITATION

 Many factors affecting foam stability has been neglected.

 Cleansing ability of soap is described only in terms of its foaming capacity.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Seminarsonly

 Encyclopaedia Britannica

 Together with Chemistry Lab Practical, Rachna Sagar(2020)

 Wikipedia