Some physical chemical properties of aqueous solutions of soaps and soapless detergents.

A stud y has been made of t he effect of concentration on the surface tension, electrical conductance, p H , opacity, and foam fo rmation of aqueo us solutions of 30 typical commercial soaps and 6 p opular soapless detergent s. The soap s included t he following types: T oilet, " medicated," glycerin, coco, washing (laundry) , and shaving soaps. The results are exp lained on the basis of the coll oidal nature of the solutions and the soap phases that have been fo und in the solid soaps by studies of X-ray d iffraction and electron mi croscopy. T he signifi cance of the res ults in term s of m icelle formation a nd the relationship between m icelles a nd deter-ge nt action a re discussed.