SESSION : 2018-2019

TOPIC:- Foaming
Capacity of soaps and
effect of addition of
sodium carbonate in soaps.

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

NITIN SANKHLA Mr vikram rajpurohit sir
CLASS - XII ‘B’ (PGT chemistry)
 certificate
This is to certify that the report entitled
“foaming capacity of soaps and effect of
addition of sodium carbonate in soaps” is here
by submitted by Nitin Sankhla of CLASS-XII ‘B’
, Lucky Bal Niketan Se. sec. school ,Jodhpur. He
has completed his report under my supervision and
taken proper care, sincerity in completion of this
report.I certify that this report is upto my
expectation and as per guidelines issued by CBSE.

In the partial fulfillment of ‘All Indian Senior

School Certificate Examination [AISSCE]
Conducted By Secondary Board of Education.

MR.VIKRAM RAJPUROHIT MR.K.S RATHORE

(PGT–Chemistry) (Principal Sir)
 Acknowledgement
I would like to give my heartiest thanks Mr
Vikram Rajpurohit Sir.Adored Chemistry teacher
for her valuable guidance, whole neared topic
“foaming capacity of soaps and effect of
addition of sodium carbonate in soaps” which
also helped me in doing a lot of research & I came
to know about so many new things.

My heart felt gratitude to my beloved my parents

and friend whose encouragement and support has
helped in completing my project work in schedule
period.I am making this project not only for marks
but to also increase my knowledge.

Submitted By:
NITIN SANKHLA

XII-B
Index
 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 and
water soluble 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 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, 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 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.
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.

Observations: The following outcomes

were noticed at the end of the experiment

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 Ca2+ and Mg2+ salts in the water supplied
Test for Ca2+ in water H2O +NH4Cl + NH4OH +
(NH4)2CO3 No precipitate Test for Mg2+ in water
H2O +NH4Cl + NH4OH + (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 Ca2+ and Mg2+.
The tap water provided is soft and thus, the
experimental results and values hold good for distilled
water and tap water.
 Bibliography
C++ Book (SUMITA ARORA)

My Teacher (MR.Vikram Singh Rajpurohit)