Integrated Science Dr.

May
Soap Making Laboratory
Soaps are made by reacting animal or vegetable fats or oils with sodium
hydroxide. Fats are called triglycerides and are chemicals made up of one molecule of
glycerine (glycerol) and three molecules of long chain fatty acids (C4 to C22).

Glycerol HOCH2

HOCH2

HOCH2

Fatty Acid (Oleic Acid) (9-octadecenoic acid) (C18H34O2)

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOH

Fats are formed by the reaction between fatty acids and glycerol. The reaction
products between organic acids and alcohols are called esters.

Olive Oil (C57H105O6)

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOCH2

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOCH2

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOCH2

To make soap we react the fat with sodium hydroxide to break the fat apart to
produce the sodium salt of the acid and glycerol.

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOCH2 HOCH2

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOCH2 + 3 NaOH HOCH2 +

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOCH2 HOCH2

3 CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COO Na+

Soap (C18H33O2Na)

This process is called saponification.

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Choose a recipe:

Recipe Number One (1) Recipe Number Two (2)

50 grams coconut oil 50 grams Crisco

29 ml 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution 22 ml 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution

Recipe Number Three (3) Recipe Number Four (4)

50 grams lard 50 grams of olive oil

22 ml 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution 22 ml 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution

Recipe Number Five (5) Recipe Number Six (6)

50 grams peanut oil 50 grams corn oil

21 ml 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution 21 ml 7.5 M sodium hydroxide solution

Recipe you choose Number __________

Mass of your 100 ml reaction beaker _________________ grams

Add 50 grams for your fat _________________ grams

Mass of beaker plus fat _________________ grams

Volume of 7.5 M sodium hydroxide _________________ ml

The steps we will use in the laboratory to make soap will be as follows.

1. Weigh the correct amount of fat into a 100 ml beaker

2. Place the beaker and fat onto a hot plate and heat to 55oC.
3. Using a 100 ml graduated cylinder, obtain the 7.5 M NaOH from Dr. May
4. Immediately pour the NaOH solution into the warm fat and begin stirring
5. Stir for the first 15 minutes then once each 15 minutes until it traces.
6. Label a plastic mold for your soap with your name and recipe number.
7. The soap should stay in the mold for 2-3 days and can be used in three weeks.

As you begin stirring the mixture, it will be thin and watery. As the ingredients
react, the mixture becomes thick and turns opaque. Tracing is a term describing the
thickness of the mixture. When a drop of soap from your stirring rod is dripped on the
surface it should leave a trace or little mound. You can also draw a small line in the
surface of the soap. If the line remains, the soap has traced.

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