Abstract

EFFECTIVENESS OF DETERGENTS IN LOWERING SURFACE TENSION: AN EXPERIMENTAL AND ANOVA-BASED STUDY

Sakshi B. Ahire* and Vasant B. Kadam

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Abstract

Surface tension is a key physical property of liquids, arising from cohesive molecular interactions. Detergents, as surfactants, significantly reduce the surface tension of water, enabling enhanced wetting and cleaning. This study investigates the extent of surface tension reduction in aqueous detergent solutions using the capillary rise method. Solutions of varying detergent brands were analysed, and results demonstrated an inverse relationship between detergent concentration and surface tension. Among the tested detergents, Ariel exhibited the lowest surface tension, indicating superior wetting ability. These findings highlight the importance of surfactant chemistry in applications such as laundry, surface cleaning, and industrial processes.

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