Question

Why are detergents preferred over soaps?

Answer 1

We need to know that the detergents and the soaps are used as a cleansing agent. Both substances are dissolved in water and it has the ability to remove the dirt from our cloth as well as the human skins. The soap contains fatty acid with potassium and sodium salt. And it also contains oils and fatty acids. The detergents contain the hydrophilic groups and the lipophilic groups. And the detergent is also called surfactants which help to decrease the surface tension of the water.

Complete answer:
We have to know that detergents are preferred over soaps. Because, as compared with soaps, it is more effective to work in hard water. And it does not form any insoluble precipitate when it is reacted with calcium and magnesium salt present in the hard water. The detergents contain a sulfonate group. But it does not attach with the ions contained in the hard water. And these have very better cleansing properties than soap and it does not mislay their effectiveness when it is reacted with saline water as well as hard water. And the detergents will not form any scum.

Note:
As we know that both detergents and soaps are used as a cleansing agent. Among these, detergent is an effective cleaning agent than soap due to its properties. It does not produce any insoluble precipitate by the reaction with hard water. Hence, it will work very efficiently with both soft water as well as the hard water. Soaps have some disadvantages over the detergents, because the use of some strong soaps may cause harm to the harmful the human skin.