MEENAKSHI AMMAL GLOBAL SCHOOL

UTHIRAMERUR - 603 406

ACADEMIC YEAR (2022-23)

PROJECT ON
FOAMING CAPACITY OF SOAPS

ROLL NO :

NAME :

CLASS : XII

SUBJECT NAME : CHEMISTRY

SUBJECT CODE : 043

PROJECT GUIDE :
PGT (CHEMISTRY)
MEENAKSHI AMMAL GLOBAL SCHOOL
UTHIRAMERUR
TAMILNADU-603 406
MEENAKSHI AMMAL GLOBAL SCHOOL

This is to certify that the project entitled "FOAMING CAPACITY OF

SOAPS" is a bonafide work done by …………………………of Class XII in

the partial fulfillment of CBSE Examination, and has been carried out under my

direct supervision and guidance for the subject CHEMISTRY (043)

Register Number

Internal Marks : …………………..

Staff In- charge Principal

Internal Examiner External Examiner

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to convey our sincere gratitude to almighty god.

It is our utmost pleasure to express deep sense of gratitude towards

…………………………………………..our Chemistry teacher, who

guided us to complete this project successfully. We also wish to

extend our heart-full thanks to Principal of our school

MRS.J.SUMATHI, M.Sc., M.Ed., M.Phil., our parents and friends

who helped us to complete the project in time.

 INDEX

Sl.No Description Page.No

1 PREFACE

2 INTRODUCTION

3 COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF SOAP

4 PREPARATION OF SOAP

5 COLD PROCESS

6 RAW MATERIALS OF THE SOAP PRODUCTION

7 INTRODUCTION TO THE EXPERIMENT

8 OBSERVATION

9 RESULT

10 BIBLIOGRAPHY
PREFACE

Soaps and detergents remove dirt and grease from skin and clothes. But
all soaps are not equally effective in their cleaning action. Soaps are the Na and
K salts of higher fatty acids such as Palmitic acid, Stearic acid and Oleic acid.
The cleansing action of soaps depends on the solubility of the long alkyl chain
in grease and that of the -COONa or the -COOK part in water.

Whenever soap is applied on a dirty wet cloth, the non polar alkyl group
dissolves in grease while the polar -COONa part dissolves in water. In this
manner, an emulsion is formed between grease and water which appears as
foam. The washing ability of soap depends on foaming capacity, as well as the
water used in cleaning. The salts of Ca and Mg disrupt the formation of micelle
formation. The presence of such salts makes the water hard and the water is
called hard water. These salts thus make the soap inefficient in its cleaning
action. Sodium Carbonate when added to hard water reacts with Ca and Mg and
precipitates them out. Therefore sodium carbonate is used in the treatment of
hard water. This project aims at finding the foaming capacity of various soaps
and the action of Ca and Mg salts on their foaming capacity.
INTRODUCTION

Soap is an anionic surfactant used in conjunction with water for washing

and cleaning, which historically comes either in solid bars or in the form of a

viscous liquid. Soap consists of sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids and is

obtained by reacting common oils or fats with a strong alkaline in a process

known as saponification. The fats are hydrolyzed by the base, yielding alkali

salts of fatty acids (crude soap) and glycerol. The general formula of soap is

Fatty end water soluble end CH3-(CH2) n COONa Soaps are useful for cleaning

because soap molecules have both a hydrophilic end, which dissolves in water,

as well as a hydrophobic end, which is able to dissolve non polar grease

molecules. Applied to a soiled surface, soapy water effectively holds particles in

colloidal suspension so it can be rinsed off with clean water. The hydrophobic

portion (made up of a long hydrocarbon chain) dissolves dirt and oils, while the

ionic end dissolves in water. The resultant forms a round structure called

micelle. Therefore, it allows water to remove normally-insoluble matter by

emulsification.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF SOAP

The most popular soap making process today is the cold process method,
where fats such as olive oil react with strong alkaline solution, while some
soapers use the historical hot process. Handmade soap differs from industrial
soap in that, usually, an excess of fat is sometimes used to consume the alkali
(super fatting), and in that the glycerin is not removed, leaving a naturally
moisturizing soap and not pure detergent. Often, emollients such as jojoba oil or
Shea butter are added 'at trace' (the point at which the saponification process is
sufficiently advanced that the soap has begun to thicken), after most of the oils
have saponified, so that they remain unreacted in the finished soap.

FAT IN SOAP

Soap is derived from either vegetable or animal fats. Sodium Tallowate, a

common ingredient in much soap, is derived from rendered beef fat. Soap can
also be made of vegetable oils, such as palm oil, and the product is typically
softer. An array of saponifiable oils and fats are used in the process such as
olive, coconut, palm, cocoa butter to provide different qualities. For example,
olive oil provides mildness in soap; coconut oil provides lots of lather, while
coconut and palm oils provide hardness. Sometimes castor oil can also be used
as an ebullient. Smaller amounts of unsaponifable oils and fats that do not yield
soap are sometimes added for further benefits.
PREPARATION OF SOAP

In cold-process and hot-process soap making, heat may be required for

saponification. Cold-process soap making takes place at a sufficient temperature
to ensure the liquification of the fat being used. Unlike cold-processed soap,
hot-processed soap can be used right away because the alkali and fat saponify
more quickly at the higher temperatures used in hot-process soap making. Hot-
process soap making was used when the purity of alkali was unreliable. Cold-
process soap making requires exact measurements of alkali and fat amounts and
computing their ratio, using saponification charts to ensure that the finished
product is mild and skin-friendly.

HOT PROCESS

In the hot-process method, alkali and fat are boiled together at 80-100 °C
until saponification occurs, which the soap maker can determine by taste or by
eye. After saponification has occurred, the soap is sometimes precipitated from
the solution by adding salt, and the excess liquid drained off. The hot, soft soap
is then spooned into a mold.
COLD PROCESS

A cold-process soap maker first looks up the saponification value of

the fats being used on a saponification chart, which is then used to calculate the
appropriate amount of alkali. Excess unreacted alkali in the soap will result in a
very high pH and can burn or irritate skin. Not enough alkali and the soap are
greasy. The alkali is dissolved in water. Then oils are heated, or melted if they
are solid at room temperature. Once both substances have cooled to
approximately 100-110°F (37-43°C), and are no more than 10°F (~5.5°C) apart,
they may be combined. This alkali-fat mixture is stirred until "trace". There are
varying levels of trace. After much stirring, the mixture turns to the consistency
of a thin pudding. "Trace" corresponds roughly to viscosity. Essential and
fragrance oils are added at light trace.
RAW MATERIALS OF THE SOAP PRODUCTION

 Mainly, four basic raw materials are involved in the manufacture of soap.

 Oils and fats

 Soda lye or potash lye

 Brine (for glycerin recovery)

 Additives (sodium carbonate, sodium silicate, dyes, perfumes, etc.) as

secondary products.
INTRODUCTION TO THE EXPERIMENT

Soap samples of various brands are taken and their foaming

capacity is noticed. Various soap samples are taken separately and their foaming
capacity is observed. The soap with the maximum foaming capacity is thus, said
to be having the best cleaning capacity. The test requires to be done with
distilled water as well as with tap water. The test of soap on distilled water gives
the actual strength of the soaps cleaning capacity. The second test with tap
water tests the effect of Ca2+ and Mg2+ salts on their foaming capacities.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the foaming capacity of various soaps

THEORY

The foaming capacity of soap depends upon the nature of the soap and
its concentration. This may be compared by shaking equal volumes of solutions
of different samples having the same concentration with same force for the
same amount of time. The solutions are then allowed to stand when the foam
produced during shaking disappears gradually. The time taken for the foam to
disappear in each sample is determined. The longer the time taken for the
disappearance of the foam for the given sample of soap, greater is its foaming
capacity or cleansing action.
REQUIREMENTS

Five 100ml conical flasks, five test tubes, 100ml measuring cylinder,
test tube stand, weighing machine, stop watch. Chemical Requirements: Five
different soap samples, distilled water, tap water.

PROCEDURE

1. Take five 100ml conical flasks and number them 1, 2,3,4,5. Put 16ml of
water in each flask and add 8 Gms of soap.

2. Warm the contents to get a solution.

3. Take five test tubes; add 1ml of soap solution to 3ml of water. Repeat the
process for each soap solution in different test tubes.

4. Close the mouth of the test tube and shake vigorously for a minute. Do the
same for all test tubes and with equal force.

5. Start the timer immediately and notice the rate of disappearance of 2mm of
froth.
OBSERVATION

The following outcomes were noticed at the end of the experiment Test
Tube no Vol. of soap solution Vol. of water added Time taken for
disappearance of 2mm

Test Tube No Vol.of soap Vol. of water added Time taken for
disappearance
of 2mm

1.Dove 8ml 16ml 11’42’

2. Lux 8ml 16ml 3’28’

3. Tetmosol 8ml 16ml 5’10’

4. Santoor 8ml 16ml 15’32’

5. Cinthol 8ml 16ml 9’40’

RESULT

The cleansing capacity of the soaps taken is in the order:

Santoor > Dove > Cinthol > Tetmosol > Lux

From this experiment, we can infer that Santoor has the highest
foaming capacity, in other words, highest cleaning capacity. Lux, on the other
hand is found to have taken the least amount of time for the disappearance of
foam produced and thus is said to be having the least foaming capacity and
cleansing capacity. Test for hardness in water Test for C a2+ and M g2+ salts in
the water supplied Test for C a2+ in water I2O + NH * 4Cl + NH * 4OH +
(NH4)2CO3 No precipitate Test for M g2+ in water H2O + NH * 4Cl + NH *
4OH +(NH4)3PO4 No precipitate The tests show negative results for the
presence of the salts causing hardness in water.

The water used does not contain salts of C a2+ and Mg2+. The tap
water provided is soft and thus, the experimental results and values hold good
for distilled water and tap water.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Parts of this project have been referred from foreign sources and have been
included in this investigatory project after editing.

The references of the sources are as follows:

BOOKS

Together With Lab Manual Chemistry-XII Comprehensive Chemistry - 12

INTERNET SOURCES

www.wikipedia.org

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com