Question

Compare soaps and detergents on the basis of their composition and cleansing action in hard water.

Answer 1

Property	Soap	Detergent
Compostion	Soaps are long-chain carboxylic acid/fatty acid salts of potassium or sodium.	The ammonium or sulphonate salts of long-chain carboxylic acids are known as detergents.
Cleansing action in hard water	Hard water’s Ca2+ and Mg2+ combine with soap to generate an insoluble material called scum.	Detergents are effective in both soft and hard water.