Question
Chemistry Question on Chemistry in Everyday Life
polyethylene-glycol is used in the preparation of which types of detergent?
A
Anionic detergent
B
Non-ionic detergent
C
Cationic detergent
D
Soap
Answer
Non-ionic detergent
Explanation
Solution
The correct answer is option (B): Non-ionic detergent
Nonionic detergents are detergents that do not carry any electric charge in the molecular structure. They have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions in the molecule. Examples of nonionic detergents are Tween 20, and Triton X-100. Polyethylene glycol is a water-soluble polymer and has repeating units of ethylene glycols. It is a non-ionic substance and is used for the preparation of non–ionic detergents, due to the presence of the -OH group.