Why in the News?

This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in ‘The Hindu’.

About Soap:

Composition: Soap is sodium (Na) or potassium (K) salt of fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats.
Formula: Solid soaps are RCOONa, liquid soaps are RCOOK.
Function: Cleansing agent due to dual hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (oil-attracting) nature.
History: Used since 2800 BC in Mesopotamia and ancient India (soap nuts, bark, flowers). Became mass-produced during the Industrial Revolution, initially a luxury.

Raw Materials: Oils such as coconut, olive, palm, sunflower provide triglycerides.
Hydrolysis: Oils hydrolysed with hot water under pressure → fatty acids + glycerin.
Saponification: Fatty acids react with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) → soap (RCOONa) + water.
Processing: Soap dried into noodles, blended with perfumes, colours, fillers, additives.
Shaping: Extruded, cut, and stamped into bars.
Quality: Total Fatty Matter (TFM) indicates quality; higher TFM = better cleansing.
Production Scale: Modern automated lines make 600–700 soaps per minute.

Biodegradability: Traditional soaps are biodegradable and safer for the environment.
Detergents: Synthetic alternatives developed during World War I oil shortages; more efficient but harmful.
Pollution: Surfactants and phosphates in detergents cause nutrient pollution and persist in ecosystems.

[UPSC 2002] Consider the following statements:

Assertion (A) Synthetic detergents can lather well in hard water.

Reason (R): Synthetic detergents form soluble calcium and magnesium salts with hard water.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Options:

(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A *

(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not a correct explanation of A

(d) A is false but R is true