Glossary: Cleaning
List of terms commonly used in the cleaning industry.
- Abrasion
- The wearing away of cleaning by friction.
- Acid
- A compound that ionizes in water to produce hydrogen ions.
- Active Ingredients
- The ingredients in a product that are specifically designed to achieve the product performance objectives.
- Adhesion
- A characteristic of soils or films which causes soils and oils to stick or bond to surfaces making them difficult to remove.
- Alcohols
- Organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH functional groups) in each molecule.
- Alkali or Base
- Describes a solution formed when a base dissolves in water to form a solution which contains more hydroxide ions than hydrogen ions.
- Ammonia
- Alkaline gas composed of nitrogen and hydrogen.
- Amphoteric Surfactant
- Surfactant that, in water solution, may be either anionic or cationic, depending upon the pH.
- Anhydrous
- Product that has had all of the water removed.
- Anion
- Ion with a negative charge, formed when an atom gains electrons in a reaction.
- Anionic Surfactant
- Negatively charged part of a molecule.
- Biodegradable
- The ability of a substance to be broken down into simpler, smaller parts by a biological process.
- Buffer
- Any substance in a fluid which tends to resist a sudden change in pH when acid or alkali is added.
- Builder
- Material that upgrades or protects the cleaning efficiency of a surfactant. Builders inactivate water hardness, supply alkalinity to assist cleaning, provide buffering to maintain alkalinity, prevents redeposition of soil and emulsification of oily and greasy soils.
- Build-up
- A heavy deposit of finish, wax, dirt and grime.
- Catalyst
- An element or compound that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction but is neither changed nor consumed by it.
- Cation
- An ion with a positive charge, formed when an atom loses electrons in a reaction.
- Cationic Surfactant
- Surfactant with a positively charged ionic group.
- Caustic
- Strong alkaline substance which irritates the skin.
- Chelating Agent
- Organic sequestering agent used to inactivate hard water and other metallic ions in water.
- Cleaning
- Includes locating, identifying, containing, removing and disposing of unwanted substances (pollutants) from the environment. It is our most powerful means of managing our immediate surrounding and protecting our health.
- Cloud Point
- The temperature at which a surfactant becomes insoluble in water.
- Coagulation
- An irreversible process in which a number of emulsion droplets coalesce, leading to complete separation of the emulsion.
- Colloid
- Type of solution in which the particles are not dissolved but are dispersed throughout the solvent or medium and held in suspension.
- Compatibility
- The ability of two or more substances to mix without objectionable changes in their physical or chemical properties.
- Corrosion Inhibitor
- Material that protects against the wearing away of surfaces.
- Critical Micelle Concentration
- The concentration of a surfactant in solution at which the molecules begin to form aggregates called micelles while the concentration of surfactant in solution remains constant.
- Defoamers
- Substance used to reduce or eliminate foam.
- Deionized Water
- Water from which charged or ionizable organic or inorganic salts are removed.
- Deliquescent
- Describes a substance which absorbs water vapor from the air and dissolves in it, forming a concentrated solution.
- Detergent
- Washing and cleaning agent with a composition other than soap.
- Diffusion
- Spontaneous and even mixing of gases or liquids.
- Dispersing Agent
- Material that reduces the cohesive attraction between like particles.
- Dispersion
- Colloidal system characterized by a continuous (external phase) and a discontinuous (internal phase). Uniformity of dispersions can be improved by the use of dispersing agents.
- Distilled Water
- Water which has had salts removed by distillation.
- Dwell or Contact Time
- Describes the time something resides on a surface or in a basin before it flows or is washed away.
- Electrolytes
- Substances capable of conducting an electric current, either in their pure liquid state or when in solution. Acids, bases and salts are all electrolytes.
- Emulsification
- Action of breaking up fats, oils and other soils into small particles which are then suspended in a solution.
- Enzyme
- Protein molecules produced within an organism that are used as catalysts for biochemical reactions.
- Etch
- Chemically caused change on the outside of a smooth surface which causes it to become pitted or rough.
- Eutrophication
- An overgrowth of aquatic plants caused by an excess of nitrates, nitrites and phosphates. It results in a shortage of oxygen in the water, causing the death of aquatic life.
- Evaporation
- Change of state from liquid to gaseous (vapor), due to the escape of molecules from the surface.
- Exothermic Reaction
- A reaction in which heat is given off to the surroundings as the products of the reaction are formed.
- Fatty Acid
- An organic substance which reacts with a base to form a soap. Tallow and coconut oil are examples.
- Flashpoint
- The minimum temperature at which a liquid gives off a vapor in sufficient concentration to ignite when tested.
- Flocculation
- A reversible process in which a number of emulsion droplets stick together to form a cluster which can be broken up by mechanical action restoring the emulsion to its original form.
- Foam
- A mass of bubbles formed on liquids by agitation. Foam can be unstable, transient or stable depending upon the presence and nature of the components in the liquid.
- Hard Water
- Water which contains calcium and magnesium salts that have dissolved from the rocks over which the water has flowed.
- HLB (Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance)
- Property of a surfactant which is represented by an arbitrary scale of 0-20 wherein the most hydrophilic materials have the highest numbers.
- Hydrophilic
- Describes a group or radical of a surfactant molecule that makes or tends to make it soluble in water. Associated with the hydrophilic portion of a surfactant molecule is the opposite hydrophobic portion.
- Hydrotrope
- Substance that increases the insolubility in water of another material, which is only partially soluble.
- Insolubility
- Inability of one substance to dissolve in another.
- Interfacial Tension
- Measure of the molecular forces existing at the boundary between two phases; expressed in dynes/cm.
- Ions
- Electrically charged particle, formed when an atom loses or gains one or more electrons to form a stable outer shell. All ions are either cations or anions.
- Micelle
- Spherical grouping of detergent molecules in water.
- Miscibility
- Used interchangeably with solubility. It is the ability of a liquid or gas to dissolve uniformly in another liquid or gas.
- Molecules
- Smallest particle of an element or compound that normally exists on its own and still retains its properties. Molecules normally consist of two or more atoms bonded together.
- Neutral
- Chemical state that is neither acid nor alkali with a pH of 7.
- Nonionic Surfactant
- Surface active agent containing neither positively or negatively charged functional groups.
- Oxidation
- to combine with oxygen.
- Oxidizing Agent
- Substance that accepts electrons in an oxidation-reduction reaction. A substance that causes the oxidation of a reactant molecule.
- pH
- Measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. It is expressed in a number from 0-14. Zero being a powerful acid and 14 being a powerful alkali. Neutral is 7.
- Phosphates
- Substance that is added to a detergent to increase its water softening ability.
- Porous
- Surface that was many tiny openings.
- Precipitate
- Material settled out of solution.
- Preservatives
- Antimicrobial agents to prevent microbial deterioration; they protect the unopened container, but do not substantially protect finish after it has been used.
- Reagent
- Substances used to start a chemical reaction suck as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide.
- Salt
- Ionic compound formed by the reaction between an acid and a base.
- Saponification
- Process of converting a fat into soap by treating it with an alkali. Also the process used by some to remove grease and oil.
- Saturated
- Describes a solution that will not dissolve any more solute at a given temperature. Any more solute will remain as crystals.
- Sequestering Agents
- Chemicals that tie up water hardness and prevent the precipitation of hard water salts.
- Soil
- Describes a wide group of substances that attach themselves to surfaces creating a pollutant. Soils loosely attach to surfaces by surface tension, electrical attraction or chemical bonding.
- Solvents
- Liquid which dissolves another substance. Water is the most common solvent.
- Surface Tension
- The attractive forces which liquid molecules have for each other.
- Surfactant
- Substances which lower the surface tension of water. These surface-active agents modify the emulsifying, foaming, dispersing, spreading and wetting properties of a product.
- Suspension
- Process of a cleaning agent holding insoluble dirt particles in the cleaning solution and keeping them from redepositing on a clean floor.
- Synergistic
- Chemicals that when combined have a greater effect than the sum of the two independently.
- Synthetic Detergents
- Sometimes called soapless detergents; typically made from by-products of refining crude oil.
- Titration
- Procedure that uses a neutralization reaction to determine the normality (the number of equivalents per liter of solution) of an unknown acid or base solution.
- Universal Solvent
- Water is called the universal solvent because it dissolves both ionic compounds and polar molecular compounds. Water usually cannot dissolve nonpolar molecules.
- Use-Dilution
- Final concentration at which a product is used.
- Viscosity
- Thickness of a liquid which determines pourability. Water has a viscosity of 1 centipoise. The resistance to flow is measured in relationship to water in centipoise.
- Volatile
- Part of a product that evaporates during drying.
- Water Hardness
- Measure of the amount of metallic salts found in water.
- Wetting Agent
- Chemical which reduces surface tension of water, allowing it to spread more freely.