2006-07-16 21:19:14 · 2 answers · asked by filterchap1 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
EdtheScience guy...
pH below 7 is acidic not alkaline...
Don't know for all detergents but the good old fashioned soap was a salt of a fatty acid with sodium e.g. RCOO- Na+
The R part is hydrophobic, interacts with stains that are also hydrophobic (oily if you like for simplicity) while the COO- group ensures solubility in water. Thus the oily stain which otherwise wouldn't come out with water because it hates water, comes out with the help of the soap which acts as a bridge between the two (water and the hydrophobic substance).
RCOO- will get protonated in acidic pH giving RCOOH which is not as soluble and thus cleaning will be much less effective.
Nowadays we have different types of detergents in general(anionic like the example above or cationic). Anionic will work better in alkaline conditions (pH>7) while cationic in acidic (pH<7). For laundry I don't know if there are acidic detergents.
2006-07-16 23:41:13 · answer #1 · answered by bellerophon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Low pHs...below 7 are alkaline, or bases. Most detergents have a pH af between 2 and 5. They dissolve greasy and oily substances.
2006-07-16 21:59:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋