Thermodynamics of binding water and solute to powdered long-chain salts of fatty acids.

Hydration of powdered fatty acids and their salts has been studied both in presence and absence of neutral salts, sucrose and urea using the isopiestic vapour pressure technique. Moles of water vapour adsorbed per mole or kg of soaps like sodium palmitate, sodium stearate, sodium myristate and sodium laurate have been measured in presence and absence of salts and compared with that of detergents (SDS, CTAB, DTAB and MTAB). For each case of positive excess adsorption of water vapour and negative excess adsorption of inorganic salts, urea and sucrose to different soaps, the standard free energy change (delta G degrees) per kg of substrate in bringing the bulk mole fraction from zero to unity have been calculated using an appropriate thermodynamic equation and the values so obtained have been compared critically.