Consider the following statements : 1. Soap cannot be used in acidic water. 2. Ionic part of a soap is —COO~.Na+. 3. Soap dissolves in water faster than detergent. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Statement 1 is correct because soaps are sodium or potassium salts of long-chain carboxylic acids that react in acidic environments to form insoluble free fatty acids, which precipitate and lose their cleansing ability [t1, t2]. Detergents, however, remain effective in acidic conditions [t1]. Statement 2 is correct as the ionic part of soap is the carboxylate group, typically represented as —COO⁻Na⁺ or —COO⁻K⁺ [c1, c3, t10]. Statement 3 is incorrect; detergents generally have higher solubility and better penetrating power than soaps, especially in cooler or hard water [t7]. While soaps form insoluble 'scum' with calcium and magnesium ions in hard water, detergents do not form such precipitates, making them more efficient cleansing agents [c2, t6]. Therefore, only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Sources

1. [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Carbon and its Compounds > Activity 4.10 > p. 75
2. [2] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Carbon and its Compounds > CH COOH CH CH OH CH C C CH CH H O 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 Acid O (E - + - - - - - + thanoic acid) (Ethanol) (Ester) O > p. 73
3. [3] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Carbon and its Compounds > Activity 4.12 > p. 76