can someone give me an organic and easy to make detergent or bleach? with easy to find ingredients?

Question

it's for our science project.. and i'm really an enviromentalist. so please do help=)

Answer 1

here's a link to a fairly simple recipe.

http://www.delcitysoap.com/soaprecipe.htm

fyi. most detergents have a long hydrocarbon (non polar) end and an ionic (polar) end. They are usually formed by reacting an oil or a fat (long hydrocarbon molecules) with an amine or with a caustic material. The recipe I linked above reacts olive oil with sodium hydroxide. If you use this recipe, make sure your careful with the NaOH. It is highly basic and can cause burns.....

Answer 2

I'm afraid organic bleach is impossible, and organic detergent is beyond your ability. Bleach is either chlorine or perborate. Chlorine bleach is made by reaction of chlorine with sodium hydroxide:

Cl2 + 2NaOH ===> NaOCl + NaCl + H2O

Perborate comes from reaction of borax with strong hydrogen peroxide--stronger than one can buy in agrocery or drug store.

The mildest detergents come from reaction of fatty alcohols like lauryl alcohol with ethylene oxide:

CH3(CH2)12CH2OH + xC2H4O ===> CH3(CH2)10CH2O-(CH2CH2O)x-