Hydrogen atoms attached to nitrogen in
amides are replaced by chlorine when such
molecules are allowed to react with hypo-
chlorite. Wyman (1996) has hypothesized
that this reaction occurs with proteins. Thus,
the replacement of nitrogen-bonded hydro-
gens with chlorine will reduce hydrogen
bonding and will improve solubility. This
further explains why active chlorine degrades
proteins to render them soluble and to
enhance their removal from soiled surfaces,
or at least modifies them enough for acceler-
ated interaction with, and removal by the
rest of the cleaning components. However,
cleaners that contain hypochlorite should be
applied soon after they are made up as they
lack stability during storage.
Synthetic Detergents
The major components of synthetic deter-
gents serve essentially the same function
as soap-emulsification of fats, oils, and
greases-except that there is no reaction to
cause a curd formation. The hydrophilic end
of soap curds in hard water, whereas this end
of a synthetic detergent surfactant does not
have this characteristic. Synthetic detergents
are effective because their addition lowers
the surface tension of the solution, promotes
wetting of particles, and deflocculates and
suspends soil particles. The properties of
synthetic cleaning compounds are influenced
by the water-soluble portion of the molecule
(hydrophile) and by the water-insoluble seg-
ment.
Wetting agents may be divided into three
major categories:
1.Cationic wetting agents(such as quater-
nary ammonia) are normally considered
sanitizers rather than wetting agents.
They produce positively charged active
ions in an aqueous solution. Detergents
in this category are poor wetting agents,
although they are strong bactericides.2.Anionic wetting agentshave a negatively
charged active ion when in solution.
They are the most commonly used wet-
ting agents in cleaning compounds
because of their compatibility with
alkaline cleaning agents and good wet-
ting qualities. Anionic agents differ
from cationic agents by not being asso-
ciated with any bactericidal properties.
3.Nonionic wetting agentshave no charge
associated with them when in aqueous
solution. Therefore, they are effective
under both acid and alkaline conditions.
Wetting agents are also responsible for
suds formation produced by a detergent.
Their main problem is that they produce
foam, which can cause complications in
drainage and sewage systems. A clean-
ing compound does not have to foam to
be an effective cleaner. One advantage of
nonionic wetting agents is that they are
not affected by water hardness.Wetting agents serve an important func-
tion as components in cleaning compounds.
Most have strong emulsifying, dispersion,
and wetting capabilities. They are noncorro-
sive, nonirritating, and rinsed easily from
equipment and other surfaces.Alkaline Soaps
Soaps, created by the reaction of an alkali
compound with a fatty acid, are considered to
be alkaline salts of carboxylic acids. Most are
made from lauric (C 12 ) to stearic (C 18 ) of the
fatty acid series, napthenic acids, rosin and the
monovalent alkalis (such as sodium, potas-
sium, ammonium), or amine salts. Soaps are
not popular in industrial cleaning because
they are less effective in hard water and are
generally inactivated by acid solutions.Enzyme-Based Cleaners
Because of bacterial attachment, enzyme-
based cleaners merit consideration because