One of the things I do is teach Chemistry high school students how to make soap. I love it because it's a practical application of what they are learning in class. Saponification is a chemical reaction between a strong base (the lye) and a fat (the oil) which results in a salt. When we mix lye (Sodiun Hydroxide) with oil the salt that is …
Chemistry
Is there lye in my soap?
One of the questions I've been asked many times is "Is there lye in my soap?" I answer honestly that there is no lye in my soap but I did use lye to make the soap. This is pretty confusing to most people. If I used lye to make the soap, how can there be no lye in the soap? …
Teaching soapmaking to Chemistry students
Teaching soapmaking to Chemistry studentsI was asked to teach some chemistry students how to make soap this week. I was in their classroom two days, first to make the soap and the next day to cut it.The students were able to take the recipe I used and calculate the molarity of the sodium hydroxide solution (9.2 Molar solution), change the …