[sunil_fine]

hi,

can u send some information about the maufacturing of liquid soaps and detergents.

also send me the best book through which i can get some information.

[eugenedakin]

Hello Sunil_fine,

There are many books on soaps and detergents.  The most reliable method of getting information is to visit a local library on a university.  Creating soaps and detergents is a very large area, and it depends on the area that you are looking at... for example, automotive soaps, hand soaps, dishwasher detergents, industrial cleaners, etc.

It also depends on the material that you wish to remove, its environmental implications, etc.

Is there a specific type of soap or detergent that you are looking at?

talk to you soon,

Eugene Dakin Ph.D., P.Chem.

[xiankai]

i've studied a bit of organic chem in my class so far, what i only know is that esters are hydrolysed with sodium hydroxide to manufacture soaps.

[eugenedakin]

Hello Xiankai,

Excellent!  You have learned, probably, the most critical step in soap manufacturing.  Other good areas to learn are emulsion/dissolving of a) salts, b) oil in water, c) water in oil.

I know gentlemen that have spent over 30 years learning these three areas, and they are continuously learning more everyday.

Chemistry is a HUGE, and gratifying area.  Make sure that you have fun along the way.

Eugene Dakin Ph.D., P.Chem.

[jdurg]

Generally speaking, NaOH is used in the manufacture of solid soaps and soap pellets/flakes.  NaOH is a strong base, but isn't quite strong enough to really break down the long chains of fats and it results in long chain fatty acids which are 'entangled' with each other resulting in a solid soap product.  KOH, being a little bit stronger than NaOH, breaks down the triglycerides a bit more and creates fatty acid chains that are less tangled and can flow easier.  As a result, the soaps created from KOH tend to be more liquid in nature.