About Ph Problem :- :-
In this project, we wanted to know which shampoo
and soaps were the gentlest, and we wanted to find out if shampoo would be
gentler than soap. We tested the pH to find the solution. What is pH? The
letters pH stand for potential Hydrogen, a measurement of hydrogen ions in a
solution. So, go ahead and explore our site to discover more about this
"pH Problem!
Abstract
The object of this experiment was to find out if
shampoo was gentler than soap with regards to the pH (or potential Hydrogen)
level. The hypothesis for this experiment was "If a variety of soaps and
shampoos are tested for their pH value, then shampoo should have a more natural
pH than soap .The experiment was carried out with a variety of 10 shampoos and
10 soaps.
To carry out a controlled test, all materials were
at room temperature before commencing. Soap was tested first, by shaving 1.0 g
of a soap into 3.0mL distilled water. After mixing for 60 seconds, litmus
papers were dipped in to determine whether the mixture was an acid or a base.
Then pH strips were used to find the pH value. These steps were repeated for
each soap, then, to ensure an accurate pH reading, the pH was tested two more
times. Because shampoo is already dissolved, water was not added to the shampoo
samples. The shampoo was measured with micro-pipettes onto petri dishes and
then the litmus test and pH tests were performed. Again, the pH test was we
carried out a total of three times to confirm the pH value. As a control, the
pH of distilled water was tested.
From looking at our recorded observations and
results, it was discovered that Unilever Dove was the soap with the most
natural pH and Alberto Balsam Days Inn was the shampoo with the value closest
to 4.5 to 5.5. After averaging all of the shampoo and soap pH tests, it was
found out that shampoo had an average pH of 6.0 and soap had an average pH of
8.0. The shampoo average was closer to the natural pH than the shampoo average,
therefore proving the hypothesis. So it is concluded that shampoo is generally
more gentle than soap.
Materials
1. Shampoo
2. Soap
3. Razor blades
4. Ten small beakers
5. Ten 5mL size micro-pipettes
6. Five petri dishes
7. Balance scale
8. Blue and red litmus paper
9. Distilled water
10.
pH paper
Procedure
1) Test the soap first. To obtain 1.0 g of each
type, scrape off shavings with the razor blades onto the balance scale.
2) Mix the shavings with 3.0 mL distilled water
for 60 seconds and label the beaker with tape.
3) Determine if the soap solution is acidic or
basic by dipping in blue litmus paper, followed by red. Record results.
4) Dip in pH papers. Record results.
5) Follow steps 1 through 4 for each of the soaps.
6) Test the pH three times to confirm the pH
value.
7) Repeat steps 1 through 6, except replace the
distilled water with tap water.
8) To test the shampoo, fill a micro-pipette with
shampoo. Make sure the pipette is completely filled.
9) Empty the pipette into a labelled petri dish.
10) Test the shampoo to determine whether it is
acidic or basic by dipping in blue litmus papers, followed by red. Record
results.
11) Dip in pH papers. Again, test the pH three
times for accuracy, record results.
12) Repeat steps 8 through 12 with each of the
shampoos.
Conclusion
If this experiment was run with every type of soap
and shampoo, it can be predicted that soaps of the same brand would have the
same, or very similar, pH value. This is pointed out because two Marietta soaps
were tested and they both had the same value through each of the three tests.
Another variation to try would be to get soap and shampoo that are relatively
close in age, because research was found showing that age can affect the pH of
soap. However, this is a difficult factor to control because one has no way of
knowing exactly when the product was manufactured. Also, because only ten soaps
and shampoos were tested, there might be other types of shampoo and soap to
make the overall average change significantly. This might be tried with liquid
soaps and hand sanitizers for more variety, as well as more control. Since the
soap that was tested was solid, and the shampoos were liquid, a discrepancy in
the results could have been avoided if liquids were used for both categories.
The thing that could greatly improve accuracy
would be to test the pH using various other methods, such as a pH pencil or an
electronic pH testing device. One other option in testing which was left out
due to lack of time, would be to test the soaps using tap water instead of
distilled. However, there was not enough time to run this experiment using
different equipment or tap water.
