Conductivity of Soap Biological & Biomedical Sciences Research Paper

Conductivity of Soap
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Abstract
Soaps and associated products like shampoos, detergents, and cleansers have been used since the early history of the humankind. These products are used for both domestic and industrial applications. The current research analyzes the physiochemical properties of two soap products. One was created all together in the laboratory and second analysis was performed on the commercially available soaps. The results revealed that the properties of the products are highly dependent on the pH and concentration values of materials in the product.
Keywords: pH, concentration, soaps, physiochemical analysis, conductivity, neem oil soaps, commercial soaps.
Conductivity of Soap
1 Introduction
Soaps and detergents are the most commonly used products both at domestic and commercial levels. The primary objectives of these products are to remove dirt, bacteria, and foreign materials from the desired surfaces. These products are usually made of essential materials like (surface active agents) and several by-products like (builders, boosters, fillers, and auxiliary products) (Brown, Iverson, Anslyn, & Foote, 2014). The role of by-products is to keep the products clean suspend dirt particles, make the solution solubilize, introduce perfumed smells on the applied surface, and removing odor from the surfaces. Generally, these products result from the reaction between long chain fatty acids and alkali metals. The soaps are made from the materials like vegetable oils or their long chain fatty acids and these are brought in contact with the alkali metals. The physiochemical properties of these products are largely dependent on the length of the chain making the fatty acids, amount of unsaturation in the reacting solutions, and the desired applications of detergents or soaps (Brown, Iverson, Anslyn, & Foote, 2014). The detergents are slightly different from the soaps as the final product is more aggressive owing to the use of sulfonated acids compared to carboxylic acids. The higher molecular weight of the detergents is observed to more effective than their lower molecular weight counterparts.
The study of metallic soaps and their physiochemical properties has various implications for the industrial and academic institutions. Soap is widely used in both industrial and domestic applications and is a key ingredient of various products like cleansers, catalysts, lubricants, cosmetics, medicines, and as waterproofing agents. Therefore, the study of physiochemical properties of soap is of extreme importance to develop a variety of efficient and reliable products. The aim of this research is to study the different types of soaps and compare their physiochemical properties (Brown, Iverson, Anslyn, & Foote, 2014). The research will include the manufacturing process, their efficiencies with respect to applications, and the evaluation of the physiochemical characteristics of soap.
2 Literature Review
The production of soap dates back thousands of years. The early humans were aware of the importance of hygienic environments. The historical evidence suggests that Mesopotamian Civilizations (3200 BC) used soap made from the animal fats and tree ashes. There is no evidence...