Presentation on Preparation of soap

Editor's Notes

• #4: Soaps are sodium or potassium fatty acids salts, produced from the hydrolysis of fats in a chemical reaction called saponification. Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting the term usually refers toilet soap, used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industry, soaps are used as thickeners, components of some lubricants, and precursors to catalysts. In a strictly chemical sense, any compound formed by the reaction of a water-insoluble fatty acid with an organic base or an alkali metal may be called a soap.
• #5: Soap manufacturing was started in North America. Some American companies with well-known names were started 200 years ago. During middle age soap was made at various places in Italy, France, England & other countries. France became famous & many small factories were established there. The ancient Egyptians combined both animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to produce a soap-like substance. They used this mixture for treating sores, skin diseases as well as washing. The Phoenicians made soap from wood ashes in 600 BC.
• #6: Soap requires two major raw materials: fat and alkali/oil. The alkali most commonly used today is sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is used to makes bar soap. It forms a solid, opaque bar soap. Potassium hydroxide makes liquid soap, which is flowing, clear, or translucent. Potassium hydroxide can also be used. Solid fats like coconut oil, palm oil, etc. Glycerine is a naturally occurring component of fats and oils that draws water to the skin, effectively balancing its moisture levels. It absorbs water from the air and thus attracts moisture to your skin.  Glycerine is a natural by-product of the soapmaking process. The demand for glycerin turned soap manufacturing into a very profitable business. Potassium-based soap creates a more water-soluble product than sodium-based soap, and so it is called "soft soap.“ Soft soap, alone or in combination with sodium-based soap, is commonly used in shaving products.
• #7: Saponification in the Soap Making Process. Saponification is at the heart of soap making. Cold Process: The most common method of making soap from scratch with oils and lye. Hot Process: A variation of the cold process method, where the soap is actually cooked in a crockpot or oven. Re-batching: A method of grinding up bars of soap, adding milk or water, and re-blending them. Soap making requires careful measurements as you are using chemicals, some of which can be dangerous. It is the chemical reaction in which the building blocks of fats and oils (triglycerides) react with lye to form soap. The saponification generally takes about 24 to 48 hours to complete once the lye and oils have been mixed and the raw soap has been poured into the mould. This process can be sped up by adding more heat or slowed down by keeping the process very cool. Saponification literally means "turning into soap" from the root word, sapo, which is Latin for soap.
• #8: Laundry soaps: Laundry soaps are formulated to eliminate grease, solid particles and organic compounds from clothes. They can be found in liquid, powder and gel forms. Cleaning soaps: Cleaning soaps have different formulations to clean grease and soil. The difference between cleansers and cleaning soaps is that cleaning soap don't contain harsh abrasives. Personal soaps: This kind of soap is made in many forms and special formulations for specific personal hygiene needs. There are also body and hair soaps that have a mix of ingredients that cleans both the skin and hair. Novelty soaps: Novelty soaps are especially manufactured for the kids and include the soaps in the shapes of various items, such as a rubber ducky or the soap-on-the-rope. There are made not only to clean dirt and grime, but for amusement and enjoyment as well. Perfumed soaps: Perfumed soaps are produced by adding a few additional ingredients and perfume. Guest soaps: Guest soaps are miniature soaps that are made and shaped into attractive shapes and they are basically designed for the use by guests either in the main bathroom or separate guest bathroom. Popular and commonly used shapes are flowers, sea shells and rounds Beauty soaps: Beauty soaps are produced to feature attractive fragrances, and ingredients for a variety of skin types. They can feature glycerin, or special oil blends. Medicated soaps: Medicated soaps and original soap are very similar. Unlike original soap, medicated soap has the addition of antiseptics and disinfectants. Glycerin soaps: Glycerin is a normally produced during the process of soap production. Soaps which include glycerin in them tend to make your skin feel moister. Transparent soap: Transparent soap uses slightly different ingredients and usually some form of alcohol to alter the process which is also conducted at higher temperatures. Not all transparent soaps are glycerin soaps. Liquid soaps: Liquid soaps are actually very difficult to produce and many of the commercial liquid soaps are just in fact detergents.
• #9: Total fatty matter (TFM) is one of the most important characteristics describing the quality of soap and it is always specified in commercial transactions. It is defined as the total amount of fatty matter, mostly fatty acids, that can be separated from a sample after splitting with mineral acid, usually hydrochloric acid. Soap with TFM 75% minimum was referred to as Grade 1 and 65% minimum as Grade 2 and less 60% as Grade 3. TFM is determined by titrating fatty acids by means of HCl & extracting oil & acid with ether
• #10: A jacket, an apron or a long-sleeved shirt made of a hard material (denim, velvet, etc.) must be worn. During the preparation of caustic soda solutions, it is necessary to wear well-fitting plastic or rubber gloves. To avoid the inhalation of toxic vapors from the dissolving soda, a protective mask or material soaked in water must be worn, covering the entire nose and mouth area. A pair of protective goggles must be worn during the soap or detergent production process. Most soap makers have seen the reasons for this safety measure first hand, with a splash of lye solution, a splatter of raw soap, or the sheer amount of particles that fly into the air while using colorants or making lye solution. Measuring your ingredients by volume makes it extremely easy to use inaccurate amounts of an ingredient in a formula. You should always weigh your ingredients on an accurate digital scale for precision.