Month: February 2020

Soap is the product of the reaction between a fatty acid and an alkali. Fatty acids are obtained from the triglycerides (fats and oils) of either animal or plant origin such as palm oil. There are three ways to make soap: saponification of oils/fats; neutralisation of fatty acids; and saponification of methyl esters of fatty … Read more

In 2010, about 13.1 million tonnes of surfactants were used globally, where 56% were anionic surfactants. Almost 49% of the surfactant produced was used in the household product category. Sulphonation plants which mainly produce anionic surfactants are scattered around the globe with capacities varying from 3000 to 50 000 t yr-1. It is estimated that … Read more

An artificial or synthetic seed (SS) is defined as a somatic (SE) or other selected tissue within a coating of a specific material, resembling a zygotic seed. The synthetic coating serves as an endosperm, consisting of among others, carbon sources, nutrients, growth hormones and anti-microbial agents. The synthetic coating and the embryo seed may be … Read more

Haploids are individuals with gametic chromosome number (n) or having a single set of chromosomes. Knowledge of the haploid number is useful in breeding and genetic studies. Haploids are used to produce double haploids (2n) where the chromosom number is doubled using chemicals. Chemicals such as colchicine or oryzalin interfere with tubulin formation during mitosis. … Read more

Several researchers have reported the importance of total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC) and carbon per nitrogen ratios (C/N) in microbial cultures. These information are useful in understanding the metabolism of microbes and may be used to select the optimal carbon and nitrogen sources for cultivation. In wastewater and stream water, … Read more