Soaps vs detergents
Chemistry in Everyday Life · Chemistry
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Study notes
Why does soap fail in hard water but detergent works? Step 1: Hard water has Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ions. Step 2: Soap: 2RCOO⁻ + Ca²⁺ → (RCOO)₂Ca (insoluble curd/scum) — soap wasted! Step 3: Detergent: sulfonate Ca²⁺ salts stay soluble → keeps cleaning. Step 4: Precipitation chemistry decides — sulfonates beat carboxylates in hard water!