Kerry and Sofia
Long before we had the soaps we have today, women made soaps by heating animal fats. Later, when it cooled and hardened, it would be cut up into squares. The use of colorings and scents in soaps came much later. Soaps contain surfactants, which reduce water is surface tension, helping water to wet a larger area and more effectively clean a surface. Surfactants also help to suspend dirt particles in water so that it doesn't redeposit onto the material, and so it can then be rinsed away. Detergents are very similar to soaps in that they contain similar surfactants and cleaning agents. The difference in consistency is due to the lack of animal fats and oils needed to give soap its texture.
An experiment was performed to assess the effectiveness of different types of detergents on an olive oil stain. Squares of white cotton cloth were stained and then water and three types of detergent were used to remove it. The squares were then compared to see how much of the stain remained and which detergent proved to be the best.
Soaps and detergents are used for many things in modern society including hygiene and laundry. This project gave a closer look at how and why they work.
