What are the three major types of detergent?
Posted July 29, 2021
Answer
The three major types of detergent are ionic, non-ionic, and zwitterionic.
- Ionic detergents – Ionic detergents have a hydrophilic head that is either negatively charged (anionic) or positively charged (cationic).
- Non-ionic detergents – Non-ionic detergents have an uncharged hydrophilic head.
- Zwitterionic detergents – Zwitterionic detergents have equal numbers of +1 and -1 charges that cancel each other out so their net charge is zero.
Additional resources