Detergent Chemistry

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Ever wondered about the working of a detergent? Detergents makes cleaning easy. Cleaning is rooted in chemistry. Lets take a look on to the chemistry of detergents.

Classification of dirt

cleaning is rooted in chemistryDirt or soil can be classified into 3:
  1. Organic
  2. Inorganic 
  3. Combination of organic & inorganic

Organic Soils

This include food soils such as  protein, fat, molds, yeasts etc and petroleum soils such as grease, motor oil etc. Alkaline cleaners or solvents can be used to remove organic soils.

Inorganic Soils

This include scales, rust, hard water deposits and minerals like sand, slit and clay. Acids can be used to remove inorganic deposits and all-purpose cleaners can be used to remove minerals.

Combination Soils

This include both organic and inorganic soils. So it is a challenge to choose the perfect cleaner. Very concentrated, highly built, solvent containing cleaners are recommended to clean combination soils.

Detergent composition

Surfactants

surfactants are organic compounds that contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups.
Surface Active Agents or Surfactants are usually organic compounds that contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. Therefore a surfactant contain both water soluble and oil soluble components. When a surfactant comes in contact with water and dirt, the hydrophilic heads stays with water and the hydrophobic tail moves away from the water. The surfactant surrounds the dirt until it is removed.

Chealating Agent

Chelating agent is a chemical compound and is also known as chelants or sequestering agents. It reacts with metal ions to form stable and water soluble complexes.
Water hardness is one of the main problem while cleaning. The presence of iron, calcium, magnesium and manganese metal ions makes the water harder. These metal ions will use the surfactants and reduce the ability of detergent in cleaning. Chelating agent will alter the electronic charge of the metal ions thereby making it impossible to use the surfactants.

Builders

Builders are often used as an alternative for chelating agents. It is added to improve the cleaning efficiency of surfactants. Builders do many functions including softening, buffering and emulsifying.
Builders soften the water by deactivating the metal ions present in it. They helps in increasing the pH and also acts as buffers in maintaining proper alkalinity. Builders helps in emulsifying by breaking down oily and greasy dirt into tiny particles.

pH of a cleaner determines how well it works.pH

pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Anything less than 7 is acid and greater than 7 is base. Any substance that contain water will have a pH level. pH of a cleaner is important because it determines how well it works.

Solvents and Preservatives

Water is an active ingredient in liquid detergents and it adds to the detergency of cleaner. Water keeps the suspended soil away from the cleaned surface so that it can be carried away during rinsing. Thus it aids in suspension and prevents in re-deposition of soils.
Preservatives are substances that protects the detergents from oxidation, bacterial degradation, discolouration etc.       



*content/pictures used for educational purpose.


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