Q3 ConChem Rwr 4 ConChem

Chemicals Present in Soap and Detergent

Recap:

- skin conditioning agents, cosmetic astringents

- sunscreen agents

- antioxidants, preservatives

1. Emollient 6. Sunscreen agent

2. Astringent 7. Exfoliant
3. Humectant 8. Chelating agents
4. Viscosity increasing agent 9. Emulsifying agents
5. Fragrance 10. Antioxidant

History of Soap and Detergent:

1. Prehistoric times - people lived near water - essential for life; cleansing properties(rinse mud off hands)

2. Ancient Babylon - 2800 BC; soap-like material found in clay cylinders

- Inscription on cylinder- fats boiled with ashes as method of soap making but used as
hair styling aids

3. Ancient Egyptians - bathed regularly

- Ebers Papyrus - medical document 1500 BC states combining animal and vegetable oils
with alkaline salts to form soap-like material used for treating skin diseases and for washing
4. Moses gave Israelites - detailed laws about personal cleanliness relating to health and religious purification.
- mix ashes and oil produced hair gel

5. Early Greeks - bathed for aesthetic reasons and not used soap, but use blocks of clay, sand, pumice, ashes and
anointed with oil.
- Strigil: metal instrument used to scrape off oil and dirt
- wash clothes without soap

6. Ancient Roman Legend - soap got its name from Mount Sapo where animals were sacrificed.
- rain washed mixture of melted animal fat or tallow and wood ashes down the clay soil
along Tiber River
- clay mixture made wash cleaner
Ancient Germans and Gauls - discover soap made of goat’s tallow and ashes used to tint hair red

7. Roman civilization - Roman bath supllied with water from aqueducts built in 312 BC
- baths are luxurious and became popular
Greek physician - Galen : 2nd century AD recommended soap for medicinal and cleansing purposes

8. After fall of Rome in 467 AD - decline in bathing so impact of filth upon public health.
- lack of cleanliness and unsanitary living condition lead to great plagues of Middle
ages and Black Death of 14th century
- bathing came back 17th century
Japan - daily bathing is a custom in middle ages
Iceland - pools are warmed with water from hot springs and gathering places on Saturday evenings

9. Europe - soapmaking as established craft in 7th century; soapmaker guilds guarded trade secrets
- vegetable, animal oils, plant ashes and fragrance
- available also for shaving and shampooing, bathing and laundering

10. Italy, Spain, France - centers for soap manufacturing due to ready supply of raw materials like oils from
olive trees
England - started making soap in 12th century
- King James I granted a monopoly to soapmaker for $100,000 a year in 1622
19th century soap was taxed as luxury item but whentax was removed soap became available to ordinary people
and standards improved

11. American Colonies - 1608 commercial soapmaking due to soapmakers from England to reach Jamestown, VA
- soapmaking became household chore; professional soapmakers collected waste fats in
exchange for soap

12. Nicholas Leblanc - French chemist in 1791 large scale commercial soapmaking
- patented a process for making soda ash or sodium carbonate from common salt
- soda ash: alkali obtained from ashes combined with fat to from soap
- Leblanc process yielded good quality inexpensive soda ash
13. Michel Eugene Chevreul - French chemist; science of modern soapmaking 20 years later
- chemical nature and relationship of fats, glycerine and fatty acids
- established basis for fat and soap chemistry

14. Ernest Solvay - Belgian chemist in mid 1800s advancement of soap technology
- used common salt or sodium chloride to make soda ash
- reduced cost of obtaining alkali but increased quality and quantity of soda ash for soap making

15. America’s fastest growing industries -1850 scientific discoveries and factory operation
- changed soap as luxury item to everyday necessity so develop milder soaps
for bathing, washing machine

16. Gemany - First synthetic detergent made in 1916 in response to World War I related shortage of fats for making
soap
Detergents - synthetic: non soap washing and cleaning made chemically from raw materials
- discovery driven by need for cleaning agent and unlike soap, it would not combine with mineral
salts in water to form insoluble substance known as soap curd

17. United States - 1930s household production but took off after World War II
- war time interruption of fat and oil supplies and cleaning agents were obtained in sea water and
in cold water stimulated research on detergents

18. First Detergents - used for hand dishwashing and fine fabric laundering
- 1946 for all purpose laundry when first “built” detergent contain surfactant/builder in US
- Surfactant: basic cleaning ingredient; Builder: helps surfactant to work efficiently
- Phosphate compounds: as builders to improve performance suitable for heavily soiled laundry

19. 1953 - sale of detergents surpassed soap

- detergents: used for laundering, dishwashing and household cleaning
: alone or combination with soap found in bars and liquids for personal cleansing