Soaps

Soaps are salts of fatty acids mainly used for washing, bathing and cleansing. They are obtained by treating vegetable or animal oils and fats with a strong alkaline solution.

How they work

Soap works by allowing oils to disperse in water where they normally would not mix, so that they can be rinsed away. In addition, lipophilic (fat loving) pockets surround grease particles, causing them too to disperse in water.

Surface tension

Soap is a surfactant (surface active agent). It…