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 regarding the person or civilization which actually invented the concept, however, it is believed that some sort of the product was manufactured and used by the societies well before the commercial production of the modern soaps (Elteraifi & Hassanali, 2011). The civilizations like Babylon (2800 BC) have been reported as the societies using some early types of soap for basic cleansing purposes and hairstyling (Elteraifi & Hassanali, 2011). The Egyptians soap recipe has been identified in the recovered medical documents from that era. The recipe was considered to have a positive impact on both personal and skin hygiene. The Greeks also used their versions of soap to the clean the dishes having the pictures of their gods. The word soap is also derived from the Roman legends; it is believed that animal sacrifices were carried out at a mountain known as Mt. Sapo. During the raining season, the animals’ fats and tree ashes were flown into the river waters and the clay was used by Roman women to wash their clothes and other garments (Elteraifi & Hassanali, 2011). Despite the presence of material throughout history, commercial production started in the year 1780 with the mass distribution of soap bars. In 1811, Eugene-Michel Chevreul became the first name in the history to determine effective values of animal fats, glycerin, and fatty acids which are required to manufacture soaps. Nevertheless, the product soon became a necessity rather than a leisure material and it continued to dominate both domestic and industrial cleaning processes in the world. In the year 1938, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was passed aimed at regulating the manufacturing of the soaps we use today (Elteraifi & Hassanali, 2011). The historical evolution of the soap manufacturing process can be depicted by the following figure:
Figure 1: Evolution of soap manufacturing (Elteraifi & Hassanali, 2011).
1 Physiochemical Analysis
The field of physiochemical analysis refers to an analysis method in which natural interactions of substances are studied between the components of the substances while keeping or altering certain physical and chemical properties. This analytical tool was established in the 19th century and since then has transformed itself as one of the most reliable approaches to study the substances and their interactions with the environment (Vivian, Nathan, Osano, Mesopirr, & Omwoyo, 2014). The analysis involves the physical measurements like thermal and electrical conductivities and optical properties of the substance. It is also observed that characteristics like viscosity, density, melting and boiling points, and solubility are dependent on the change in the concentration of the materials making up a substance (Vivian et.al, 2014). The cleansing and efficient operation of the substance has relied on the concentration of the ingredients used to make up soaps. The fatty acids have been used as the core components for manufacturing soaps. One of the most reliable methods is to use ‘Palm Oil’ extracted from ‘Palm Seeds’ commonly known as “Neem Oil”. It is the preferred way of manufacturing the soap owing to a smooth application on human skin and reliable physical properties (Vivian et.al, 2014). The manufacturing of soap at the industrial level can be depicted by the following figure:
Figure 2: Industrial Mass Production of Soap (Vivian et.al, 2014).
3 Manufacturing of Sample
The neem oil has been used in the manufacturing of natural cosmetics, soaps, cleansing liquids, hair and skin care products, ointments and medical cosmetics. The oil is produced by using both mechanical (hot or cold) or chemically (solvent extraction) from the dried neem seeds. However, the best quality of the oil is believed to be obtained from the cold press (Vivian et.al, 2014). In the cold press, the obtained product is lighter in nature and has a natural odor. The potential residual solvents in the chemical based product is also a fact which might pose health threats to the consumers.
Naturally, the neem oil is enriched with the essential fatty acids (EFAs), triglycerides, Vitamin E, and calcium. The oil also has the capability to penetrate through the small cracks on the skin resulting from the dryness or cold. The naturally observed concentrations of the fatty acids in a convenience sample of neem oil are given below:
a. Oleic Acid (53%)
b. Linoleic Acid (2.1%)
c. Palmitic Acid (12.1%)
d. Stearic Acid (21.4%)
The unique feature is the natural presence of vitamin E which is vital for reducing the negative effects of an aging skin. The vitamin E acts as a free radical to reduce the oxidizing of the human skin. For this experimental study, the need for oil was extracted from the fruits from the palm trees. The collected seeds were dried for 14 days under a constant temperature range of 60-80 °C to obtain the seeds having the same weight (Vivian et.al, 2014). Dried seeds were crushed using a conventional crusher and transformed into the fine powder by using a grinder, crusher, and blender. The refined sample was introduced into the bridge which is manually screwed to obtain oil while maintaining phytoconstituents intact (Vivian et.al, 2014).
3.1 Soap Preparation
The conventional chemical reactions were performed to manufacture soap.
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The Neem oil 10 g was weighted in a 500 mL beaker and heating up to 100°C. After the solution reached 100°C the saponification process was initiated by introduced NaOH (20 mL and 23.5% w/v). The introduction of 60 g of NaOH dissolved in the 100 mL of the solution was added gradually in the solution and with slight stirring to complete the process of saponification. The training in the resulting soap was removed by using 10 g of NaCl dissolved in the 30 ml of the distilled water. The salt also plays an important role in removing the product at the bottom of the beaker and reduce the viscosity of the soap. Moreover, NaCl can separate the glycerol-water in a container. The glycerol liquid makes up the lower part of the solution and separated by a process known as siphoning. The resulting soap in the form of a bar after the cold press is then washed with hot water at 90°C to remove any excess NaCl and NaOH from the finalized product. The product is then filtered and kept in a cast to dry out.
2 Determination of TFM (Total Fatty Matter)
This measurement is carried out by reacting the soap with the acid in the presence of hot water to obtain the value of fatty acids. Nearly 10g of the soap was weighted and added into 150 mL distilled water and heated to 100°C. The solution was then dissolved in the 20 mL of 15 H2SO4 while heating to obtain a clear solution. After some time the fatty acids were generated on the surface of the solution which were then filtered and dried. The material was allowed to co...