DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS

**Definition:** This place covers:

**Glossary:** - amphoteric surfactant: amphoteric surfactants contain both acidic and basic groups in their molecule, and can act as cationic or anionic detergents, depending on the pH of the solution, or as both cation and anion. Betains are included. - anionic surfactant: anionic surfactants have a negatively-charged surface-active ion. An example is sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate. - cationic surfactant: cationic surfactants may have a positively-charged cation; typical are the quaternary ammonium salts; they may also be amides or amines - compounding ingredients: the non-surface-active ingredients in a detergent composition, e.g. builder, water-softening agents or solvent - detergents: detergents are basically any cleaning materials. Such materials may or may not contain surfactants. The term "synthetic detergent" is also used as a synonym for "surfactant" (excluding soaps, which are not considered synthetic), which is a compound or a mixture of compounds, whose molecules have two distinct regions – one that is hydrophilic and has an affinity for water and another that is hydrophobic, with little (if any) affinity for water. These compounds can aid in the solubilisation of hydrophobic compounds in water. See examples below of particular types of surfactant (detergent). - nonionic surfactant: nonionic surfactants are synthetic surface-active agents which are such that the molecules do not ionise in aqueous solution. Typical are the surfactants based on condensation products of ethylene oxide with a hydrophobe. - resin soap: a yellow soap containing resin, used for bleaching. It is made by adding a certain quantity of resin (rosin or colophony), as much as 50% and more of the fat employed, to the mass in the soap boiler towards the end of the process. - syndet bars: piece of hard soap made from synthetic surfactants - soaps: soaps have the same properties as those mentioned above for surfactants, but in general soaps are not considered as synthetic detergents. Soap is a particular type of surfactant derived from oils and fats created through the saponification process whereby the ester linkage in a vegetable oil or fat is hydrolytically cleaved using an alkali or (NaOH or KOH) or ammonia or amine yielding glycerol and crude soap. Soaps usually consist of the alkaline salts of fatty acids such as palmitic, stearic or oleic acids. Soft soaps contain the potassium salts, whereas the sodium salts are hard soaps. Soaps are examples of anionic surfactants. - surface-active compounds/agents (surfactants): substances which have the effect of reducing the surface tension of a solvent, an example being a detergent/surfactant or soap dissolved in water. These substances, also known as wetting agents, contain a combination of polar (hydrophilic) and non-polar (hydrophobic) parts which serve to bind oil and water together. They are located at the phase boundary between the water phase and the organic phase or if there is no room there, they will congregate together and form micelles. Both synthetic detergents and soaps are surfactants. - surfactants: see "surface-active compounds/agents"