THE STUDY OF DIFFERENT SOAPS REMOVING GERMS ON HANDS

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1 THE STUDY OF DIFFERENT SOAPS REMOVING GERMS ON HANDS Julian Sodano Cary Academy ABSTRACT The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not different soaps change the amount of germs that are removed. Soap removes bacteria from human hands by surrounding the up to 40 million bacteria cells in hydrophobic and hydrophilic anions that lift the dirt up and out of the hand. Soap was applied to test subject s hands and washed for different amounts of time, washed in different temperatures of water and different types of soap were used. In the end it was found that more gritty soaps were best, warm water was best and more time was best. These results are true because when more and more Glow Germ is added, the more Glow Germ is going to glow INTRODUCTION Soap was originally boiled animal fat and lye, now days soap is made with the same process but with vegetable oil and alkali caustic soda and vegetable oil. Soap is a mixture of salts of long-chain carboxylic acids. Since soaps do not lather until it has reacted with all the dissolved substances in the water, it s not really soap until the reaction of saponification. Saponification is the process that produces soap, that usually from fats and lye. Soap works by removing oily and sticky substances when combined with water. If only water is applied the water would run right over all of the dirt, grime, sticky, and dirty substances. The soap molecules called anions go across the surface and take up any of those substances. When the anions arrive at the dirt they surround it and prevent it from escaping. Once the soap has surrounded it lifts it out of the surface it s stuck on, then when the water flows over it, the hydrophilic parts of the anions flow with the water and remove it. That s why water and soap are needed to wash your hands properly

2 Figure 1: This shows a piece of dirt being surrounded by soap anions. Light is an electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye. Light has a wave length from 380 nm - 720nm (nm = nanometers). Also with a frequency range of 405 Hz Hz. The four main frequencies of light are intensity, propagation direction, wavelength spectrum, and polarization. Light moves at 186,282 mph. It also is emitted and adsorbed in tiny "packets" called photon, which had properties of both waves and particles. Hydrophobic is something that is water loving. Hydrophobic is water hating. Electrons have a negative charge, and oxygen loves electrons. When the electron and the oxygen meet the oxygen becomes a charge and the other two hydrogen atoms in the water stay positive. Anything charged with electrons becomes hydrophilic, if it s not charged it s hydrophobic. The dirt on hands is hydrophobic. When the soap comes near the dirt, both the dirt and soap attract because the soap is hydrophobic and philic. Then the dirt is surrounded by the soap and the soap pulls it out of the surface. At that point the water flows over the hydrophilic part it sticks to the water and flows off with it. Germs are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. They come in three shapes, spheres, rods, and spirals. Germs are the natures recycling bins; they recycle vital nutrients back into the world. There can be up to 40 million bacterial in one gram of dirt. Hand bacteria can cause cholera, syphilis, anthrax, leprosy and bubonic plague. It s

3 possible to find bacteria s associated to Algae s, and changing toxic materials into food or being food to other kind of microscopic beings. Germs aren t always bad; they can be used to treat sewage from other bacteria s. Or to promote the storage of foods as fat in the body. They even help babies immune systems grow and learn more on how to defend its self. A previous experiment was done by Jackie riley. Jackie s purpose was to find how long it takes to remove the all glow germ on your hands by washing. Jackie placed glow germ and soap on her hands and washed for different amounts of time. She found that washing with more time removed more germs and with less more germs was left. MATERIALS AND METHODS The materials used in this experiment are soap, Glow Germ liquid, Glow Germ powder, light probe, UV light, ball, tablet, popcorn, water, bowl, baseball base, and a timer. In the first experiment hands were tested without anything applied to them. After, Glow Germ was applied and recorded. Then Glow Germ was applied to hands following soap was applied. After the hands were washed for 30 sec. Then the hands were placed under the UV light to be recorded in lux. Then the amount that the hands glowed was subtracted. Each time this was performed a different soap was used. All soaps were tested three times each. In the second experiment only one soap was used. The glow germ was applied and following was the soap. Then the hands were washed for different amounts of time ranging from 0-25 sec. After each wash and recording the original glow of the hands was subtracted. In the third experiment a rubber ball was used in place of a doorknob. Before any real testing the average glow of the ball was recorded. After, glow germ powder in was applied to volunteer s hands. Then the volunteer picked up the ball and moved it in a

4 Amount Glowed (lux) motion close to opening and closing a door five times before an interval. Each time more Glow Germ was applied it was tested. In the final experiment, popcorn was dropped into different amounts of Glow Germ. This was to test the five second rule. After each drop the popcorn was tested for its glow in lux. The popcorn was tested in 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 pile shakes. The different amount of shakes was to represent more or less the area was walked on. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION It was determined that in the first experiment that when you wash your hands with soaps with more grit in them the amount of germs that come off was more. When the coconut soap was used it ended with a total of 2.5 lux compared to the 9 lux without soap. The worst that was tested was the natural soap. It tested an average of 4 lux remaining. (See figure 2) This was because the grit in the soaps help rub across the dirt and bring it up out of the skin, this doesn t happen when there was no grit. In total the best type of soap to use are soaps with more grit, and the worst are the soaps with smooth soft textures hands glow germ only natural soap lemon soap coconut soap Item Glowing Figure 2: This shows the average amounts that the soaps, hands and just Glow Germ glowed. For the first follow up experiment, the worst soap (natural soap) was used but with different amounts of time being washed. When washed for 0 sec after the soap was

5 Average glow (lux) applied it had an average glow of 3.6 lux. When washed for 25 sec its average glow was 2 lux. This was because when washing hands the more time washed allows for more time to remove the dirt on the surface. This shows that when hands are washed for longer periods of time more germs are removed. (See figure three) Time washed (sec) Figure 3: This shows the change in glow when washed for different amounts of time. The second follow up experiment a rubber ball was used to represent a doorknob. The test subject poured 1 shake of Glow Germ powder into hands. Then the subject picked up and moved the ball in a door opening and closing motion. The most glow came off of the ball after 25 hands have touched it, the least with 5. This was because the more hands that touch It, the more germ was placed onto the ball. (see figure 4)

6 Amount Glowed (lux) Amount glowed (lux) Times touched by hands Figure 4: This shows how the more times a doorknob were touched by hands; the more germs are applied to the knob. In the last experiment popcorn was dropped into different amounts of Glow Germ to represent the five second rule in more crossing and less crossing areas. When there were three shakes of powder, it was less than one lux glow. But when 9 shakes were applied, the lux spiked to 85 lux. Then the data rose slowly when more powder was applied. (See figure 5) Shakes of Glow Germ Figure 5: This shows that the more an area is crossed, the more germs are going to be on the food you dropped.

7 Popcorn Table Dirt (glow germ powder) Figure 6: This shows how the popcorn was dropped into the Glow Germ. CONCLUSION The best way to wash anything is with gritty soap, warm water, and for a long period of time. The data displayed here is important because it shows information on the five second rule and washing hands. The prediction that warm water, gritty soap and longer periods of time washing would remove more germs was correct. Some follow up experiments that could be done could be testing if different types of soap work best (foam, jelly, gritty) Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. Web. 16 Feb < Ganeri, Anita. Indoor Science. New York: Dillon, Print. "Google Images." Google. Web. 14 Feb < "Light." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Jan < Morgan, Nina. Chemistry in Action: The Molecules of Everyday Life. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. New York: Oxford UP, Print. Jackie Reilly THE STUDY OF HOW LONG IT TAKES SOAP TO GET ALL THE GERMS OFF OF HANDS. Cary Academy print.

8 "What Are Germs?" KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Web. 16 Feb <