08/03/2018 Detergent - Wikipedia

Detergent
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleaning
properties in dilute solutions.[1] These substances are usually
alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are
more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate (of detergents) is less
likely than the polar carboxylate (of soap) to bind to calcium and other ions
found in hard water.

In most household contexts, the term detergent by itself refers specifically to

laundry detergent or dish detergent, as opposed to hand soap or other types of
cleaning agents. Detergents are commonly available as powders or
concentrated solutions. Detergents, like soaps, work because they are Detergents

amphiphilic: partly hydrophilic (polar) and partly hydrophobic (non-polar).

Their dual nature facilitates the mixture of hydrophobic compounds (like oil
and grease) with water. Because air is not hydrophilic, detergents are also foaming agents to varying degrees.

Contents
Chemical classification of detergents
Anionic detergents
Cationic detergents
Non-ionic and zwitterionic detergents
History
Major applications of detergents
Household cleaning
Fuel additives
Biological reagent
See also
References
External links

Chemical classification of detergents

Detergents are classified into three broad groupings, depending on the electrical charge of the surfactants.

Anionic detergents
Typical anionic detergents are alkylbenzenesulfonates. The alkylbenzene portion of these anions is lipophilic and the
sulfonate is hydrophilic. Two different varieties have been popularized, those with branched alkyl groups and those with
linear alkyl groups. The former were largely phased out in economically advanced societies because they are poorly
biodegradable.[2] An estimated 6 billion kilograms of anionic detergents are produced annually for domestic markets.

Bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DOC), are anionic detergents produced by the liver to aid in digestion and absorption
of fats and oils.

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Cationic detergents
Cationic detergents that are
similar to the anionic ones, with a
hydrophilic component, but,
instead of the anionic sulfonate
group, the cationic surfactants
have quaternary ammonium as the
polar end. The ammonium sulfate
center is positively charged.[2]
Three kinds of anionic detergents: a branched sodium
dodecylbenzenesulfonate, linear sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and a soap.
Non-ionic and
zwitterionic detergents
Non-ionic detergents are characterized by their uncharged, hydrophilic headgroups. Typical non-ionic detergents are
based on polyoxyethylene or a glycoside. Common examples of the former include Tween, Triton, and the Brij series.
These materials are also known as ethoxylates or PEGlyates and their metabolites, nonylphenol. Glycosides have a sugar
as their uncharged hydrophilic headgroup. Examples include octyl thioglucoside and maltosides. HEGA and MEGA series
detergents are similar, possessing a sugar alcohol as headgroup.

Zwitterionic detergents possess a net zero charge arising from the presence of equal numbers of +1 and −1 charged
chemical groups. Examples include CHAPS.

See surfactants for more applications.

History
In World War I, there was a shortage of oils. Synthetic detergents were first made in Germany.[3][4]

Major applications of detergents

Household cleaning
One of the largest applications of detergents is for household cleaning including dish washing and washing laundry. The
formulations are complex, reflecting the diverse demands of the application and the highly competitive consumer market.

Fuel additives
Both carburetors and fuel injector components of Otto engines benefit from detergents in the fuels to prevent fouling.
Concentrations are about 300 ppm. Typical detergents are long-chain amines and amides such as polyisobuteneamine and
polyisobuteneamide/succinimide.[5]

Biological reagent
Reagent grade detergents are employed for the isolation and purification of integral membrane proteins found in
biological cells.[6] Solubilization of cell membrane bilayers requires a detergent that can enter the inner membrane
monolayer.[7] Advancements in the purity and sophistication of detergents have facilitated structural and biophysical
characterization of important membrane proteins such as ion channels also the disrupt membrane by binding
Lipopolysaccharide,[8] transporters, signaling receptors, and photosystem II.[9]

See also
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Soap
Cleavable detergent
Dishwashing liquid
Dispersant
Green cleaning
Hard-surface cleaner
Laundry detergent
List of cleaning products
Triton X-100

References
1. "IUPAC Gold Book - detergent" (http://goldbook.iupac.org/D01643.html). Goldbook.iupac.org. 2012-08-19. Retrieved
2013-01-12.
2. Eduard Smulders, Wolfgang Rybinski, Eric Sung, Wilfried Rähse, Josef Steber, Frederike Wiebel, Anette Nordskog,
"Laundry Detergents" in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.
doi:10.1002/14356007.a08_315.pub2 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14356007.a08_315.pub2)
3. "Soaps & Detergent: History (1900s to Now)" (http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/soaps__detergent_history
_3.aspx). American Cleaning Institute. Retrieved on 6th January 2015
4. David O. Whitten; Bessie Emrick Whitten (1 January 1997). Handbook of American Business History: Extractives,
manufacturing, and services (https://books.google.com/books?id=S-8god7-MlEC&pg=PA221). Greenwood Publishing
Group. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-313-25199-3.
5. Werner Dabelstein, Arno Reglitzky, Andrea Schütze, Klaus Reders "Automotive Fuels" in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of
Industrial Chemistry 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheimdoi:10.1002/14356007.a16_719.pub2 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F1
4356007.a16_719.pub2)
6. Koley D, Bard AJ (2010). "Triton X-100 concentration effects on membrane permeability of a single HeLa cell by
scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)" (http://www.pnas.org/content/107/39/16783.long). Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 107 (39): 16783–7. Bibcode:2010PNAS..10716783K
(http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010PNAS..10716783K). doi:10.1073/pnas.1011614107 (https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fp
nas.1011614107). PMC 2947864 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2947864)  . PMID 20837548 (http
s://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20837548).
7. Lichtenberg D, Ahyayauch H, Goñi FM (2013). "The mechanism of detergent solubilization of lipid bilayers" (https://w
ww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3714928). Biophysical Journal. 105 (2): 289–299.
Bibcode:2013BpJ...105..289L (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013BpJ...105..289L). doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2013.06.007 (ht
tps://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.bpj.2013.06.007). PMC 3714928 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3714928) 
. PMID 23870250 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23870250).
8. Doyle, DA; Morais Cabral, J; Pfuetzner, RA; Kuo, A; Gulbis, JM; Cohen, SL; Chait, BT; MacKinnon, R (1998). "The
structure of the potassium channel: molecular basis of K+conduction and selectivity". Science. 280 (5360): 69–77.
Bibcode:1998Sci...280...69D (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998Sci...280...69D). doi:10.1126/science.280.5360.69
(https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.280.5360.69). PMID 9525859 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9525859).
9. Umena, Yasufumi; Kawakami, Keisuke; Shen, Jian-Ren; Kamiya, Nobuo (2011). "Crystal structure of oxygen-evolving
photosystem II at a resolution of 1.9 A". Nature. 473: 55–60. Bibcode:2011Natur.473...55U (http://adsabs.harvard.ed
u/abs/2011Natur.473...55U). doi:10.1038/nature09913 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature09913). PMID 21499260 (htt
ps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21499260).

External links
About.com: How Do Detergents Clean (http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/f/detergentfaq.htm)
Campbell tips (http://www.chemistry.co.nz/deterginfo.htm) for detergents chemistry, surfactants (http://www.chemistry.
co.nz/surfactants.htm), and history (http://www.chemistry.co.nz/deterghistory.htm) related to laundry washing,
destaining methods (http://www.chemistry.co.nz/stain_frame.htm) and soil (http://www.chemistry.co.nz/soil_id.htm).

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