Detergent 92514 222508905 2008-06-29T18:42:08Z TXiKiBoT 3171782 robot Adding: [[gl:Deterxente]] [[Image:Washingpowder.jpg|thumb|[[Laundry detergent]]s are just one of many possible uses for detergents]] A '''detergent''' (as a noun) is a material intended to assist [[cleaning]]. The term is sometimes used to differentiate between [[soap]] and other [[surfactant]]s used for cleaning. As an adjective pertaining to a substance, it (or "detersive") means "cleaning" or "having cleaning properties"; "detergency" indicates presence or degree of cleaning property. ==Composition== Detergents, especially those made for use with water, often include different components such as: * ''[[Surfactant]]s'' to 'cut' (dissolve) [[Fat|grease]] and to wet surfaces * ''[[Abrasive]]'' to scour * Substances to ''modify [[pH]]'' or to affect performance or stability of other ingredients, [[acids]] for [[descaling]] or [[Corrosive|caustics]] to break down organic compounds * ''[[Water softener]]s'' to counteract the effect of "hardness" ions on other ingredients * ''[[Oxidizing agent|oxidant]]s'' (oxidizers) for [[bleach]]ing, disinfection, and breaking down organic compounds * Non-surfactant materials that keep dirt in [[suspension (chemistry)|suspension]] * ''[[Enzymes]]'' to digest [[protein]]s, [[fat]]s, or [[carbohydrate]]s in stains or to modify fabric feel * ''Ingredients that modify the [[foam]]ing properties'' of the cleaning surfactants, to either [[foaming agent|stabilize]] or [[anti-foaming agent|counteract]] foam * ''Ingredients that affect aesthetic properties of the item to be cleaned, or of the detergent itself before or during use,'' such as [[optical brightener]]s, fabric softeners, colors, [[perfume]]s, etc. * Ingredients such as corrosion inhibitors to counteract damage to equipment with which the detergent is used * Preservatives to prevent spoilage of other ingredients * Washing agents may contain soap for the purpose of reducing foam rather than cleaning fabric. Sometimes materials more complicated than mere mixtures of compounds are said to be detergent. For instance, certain foods such as celery are said to be detergent or detersive to teeth. ==Types== There are several factors that dictate what compositions of detergent should be used, including the material to be cleaned, the apparatus to be used, and tolerance for and type of dirt. For instance, all of the following are used to clean glass. The sheer range of different detergents that can be used demonstrates the importance of context in the selection of an appropriate glass-cleaning agent: * a [[chromic acid]] solution&mdash;to get glass very clean for certain precision-demanding purposes, namely in [[analytical chemistry]] * a high-foaming mixture of surfactants with low skin irritation&mdash;for hand-washing of drink glasses in a sink or dishpan * other surfactant-based compositions&mdash;for washing windows with a squeegee, followed by rinsing * any of various non-foaming compositions&mdash;for glasses in a [[dishwasher|dishwashing machine]] * an [[ammonia]]-containing solution&mdash;for cleaning windows with no additional dilution and no rinsing * [[ethanol]] or [[methanol]] in [[Windshield]] [[windshield washer fluid|washer fluid]]&mdash;used for a vehicle in motion, with no additional dilution * glass [[contact lens]] cleaning solutions, which must clean and disinfect without leaving any eye-harming material that would not be easily rinsed off. ==Terminology== Sometimes the word ''detergent'' is used to distinguish a cleaning agent from ''[[soap]]''. During the early development of non-soap surfactants as commercial cleaning products, the term ''syndet'', short for ''synthetic detergent'' was promoted to indicate the distinction, but never caught on very well and is incorrect, because most soap is itself synthesized (from glycerides). The term ''soapless soap'' also saw a brief vogue. There is no accurate term for detergents not made of soap other than ''soapless detergent'' or ''non-soap detergent''. Plain water, if used for cleaning, is a detergent. Probably the most widely-used detergents other than water are soaps or mixtures composed chiefly of soaps. However, not all soaps have significant detergency and, although the words "detergent" and "soap" are sometimes used interchangeably, not every detergent is a soap. The term ''detergent'' is sometimes used to refer to any [[surfactant]], even when it is not used for cleaning. This terminology should be avoided as long as the term ''surfactant'' itself is available. ==History== The detergent effects of certain synthetic surfactants were noted in 1913 by A. Reychler, a Belgian chemist. The first commercially available detergent taking advantage of those observations was ''Nekal'',<ref> {{Citation | title = Chemists job description | url = http://www.123oye.com/job-descriptions/a/analytical-chemist.htm Analytical | accessdate = [[2008-05-09]] }}</ref> sold in Germany in 1917, to alleviate [[World War I]] soap shortages. Detergents were mainly used in industry until [[World War II]]. By then new developments and the later conversion of USA [[aviation fuel]] plants to produce [[tetrapropylene]], used in [[Household chemicals|household]] detergents, caused a fast growth of household use, in the late 1940s.<ref> {{Citation | last = Spriggs | first = John | publication-date = July 1975 | title = An economical analysis of the developmente of substitutes with some illustrative examples and implications for the beef industry | series = Staff paper series | pages = 34-37 | url = http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/123456789/22851/1/p75-14.pdf | format = pdf | accessdate = [[2008-05-09]] }}</ref> In the late 1960s [[biological detergent]]s, containing [[enzyme]]s, better suited to dissolved [[protein]] stains, as [[egg (food)|egg]] stains, were introduced in the USA by [[Procter & Gamble]].<ref> {{citation | inventor1-last = Roald | inventor1-first = Arnvid S. | inventor2-last = Oude | inventor2-first = Nicolaas T. DE. | title = Granular enzyme-containing laundry composition | issue-date = [[1969-06-24]] | patent-number = 3451935 | country-code = US}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Laundry detergent]] * [[Cleavable detergent]] ==External links== * [http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/f/detergentfaq.htm About.com: How Do Detergents Clean] * [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6472364.html US Patent 6472364: Detergent compositions or components] ==References== <References/> [[Category:Cleaning products]] [[Category:Membrane-active molecules]] [[ca:Detergent]] [[de:Reinigungsmittel]] [[es:Detergente]] [[fr:Détergent]] [[gl:Deterxente]] [[it:Detergente]] [[he:דטרגנט]] [[lt:Ploviklis]] [[ms:Detergen]] [[nl:Detergent]] [[ja:洗剤]] [[pl:Detergenty]] [[pt:Detergente]] [[fi:Pesuaine]] [[sv:Rengöringsmedel]] [[zh:清洁剂]]