What are biodegradable and non-biodegradable detergents? Give one example of each.

Explanation

Detergents containing unbranched hydrocarbon chains are easily degraded by micro-organisms. These are called biodegradable detergents.
Example: Sodium 4-( 1-dodecyl)benzenesulphonate.
Detergents containing branched hydrocarbon chains are not easily degraded by microorganisms. These are called nonbiodegradable detergents.
Example: sulphonate. Sodium 4-( 1,3,5, 7-tetramethyloctyl) benzene-sulphonate.