Soapless Soap / Synthetic Detergents
Synthetic detergents have all the properties of soaps but actually does not contain any soap, so they are known as“ soapless soaps ‟.
Straight chain alkyl group containing detergents are biodegradable whereas branched chain alkyl group containing detergents are nonbiodegradable.
Unlike soaps, synthetic detergents can be used in both soft and hard water. This is due to the reason that calcium and magnesium salts of detergents like their sodium salts are also soluble in water. Synthetic detergents are mainly classified into three categories:
1. Anionic Detergents
These are sodium salts of sulphonated long chain alcohols or hydrocarbons.
( i) Alkyl hydrogen sulphates formed by treating long chain alcohols with concentrated sulphuric acids are neutralised with alkali to form anionic detergents.
( ii) Alkyl benzene sulphonates are obtained by neutralising alkyl benzene sulphonic acids with alkali.