To Study the foaming capacity

of Soaps

Having a successful investigatory project is really a great pleasure to

us. It helps us improving a certain project and identifying new
discoveries. So, we the students would like to thank following
persons who helped us to make this project successful. First, to our
Almighty God who gave us wisdom that lead us to come up on this
great idea and for the guidance that made our project fruitful.
Mrs. Usha Madam who helped us in the formulation of the study,
also Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre for helping us
in performing our project and lastly, our parents who
continuously support us in our project.
Thank You very much!

 Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of higher fatty

acids. The higher fatty acids may be such as stearic
acid (C 17 H35 COOH), palmitic acid (C 15 H31 COOH).
A soap molecule has a lipophilic (oil soluble) part and
a hydrophilic (water soluble) part. Soaps are used for
washing purposes. When soap is shaken with water,
it produces foam which is responsible for removal of
dirt. A soap which produces more foam is more
effective in cleansing.
1

 The cleansing action of soap molecule contains a

non-polar lipophilic group and a polar hydrophilic
group. The dirt is held on the surface of clothes by
the oil or grease which is present there. When soap
is applied, the non-polar alkyl group dissolves in
oil droplets while the polar COO - Na+ group
remains dissolved in water. In this way, each oil
droplet is surrounded by negative charge. These
negatively charged oil droplets cannot coalesce and
a stable emulsion is formed. These oil droplets
containing dirt particles can be washed away with
water.
2

 Washing or cleansing capacity f a soadecrease in

hard water . Hard water contains Ca +2 and Mg +2
ions which interact with soap to form curdy ppt.
of Calcium and Magnesium salts of higher fatty
acids .
17

35

17

35

+2

+2

17

17

35

35

 The hardness of water can be removed by adding

washing soda (Na2 CO 3 ) whereby Ca+2 and Mg +2
ions get precipitated as their Carbonates.

+2

+2

 100 ml conical flask with corks

20 ml test tube
100 ml measuring cylinder
50 ml measuring cylinder
Test tube stand
Weight box
Stop watch
Different samples of soap
Distilled water

 Weigh 0.5 g of each of the different samples of the soap.

Dissolve each of these weighed samples in 50 ml of
distilled water separately, in different conical flask. Label
the solution obtained as 1,2,3,4 and 5.

 Take 20 ml test tubes and add 10 ml distilled water to

each of them . Then add 1 ml of different soap solution
separately in different test tubes and correspondingly mark
the test tubes as 1,2,3,4 and 5.

 Cork test tube no. 1 tightly and shake it vigorously for 1

minute . Place the tube in the test tube stand and start the
stop watch immediately. Note the time in which the foam
just disappears.
Similarly , note the time for the disappearance of foam in
the other test tube and record the observations.

Test tube
no.

Brand name of the soap

Time taken for disappearance of

foam

Surf
excel

61.27 min

Persona

57.53 min

Lux

1.49 min

Lifebuoy

16.56 min

Detol

33.49 min

10

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