Prelab for Synthesis of Soap - Prelab for Synthesis of Soap Chemistry 112L Section 001 1 What is the chemical structure of a soap Soaps have very polar

Prelab for Synthesis of Soap Chemistry 112L Section 001 September 24, 2014 1. What is the chemical structure of a soap? Soaps have very polar ionic ends followed by a long nonpolar hydrocarbon chain. 2. Why is potassium hydroxide used to make soap? Potassium hydroxide is used to make soaps, so that soft soaps can be made such as liquid and shaving soap. 3. What property of soap allows it to remove dirt? The nonpolar hydrocarbon chain in soaps can interact with nonpolar layers of greasy dirt mixed with natural oils. This interaction causes the dirt to be pulled away by the hydrocarbon chains when the ionic head of the molecules is pulled away by water. 4. Does the type of fat used to make soap result in soap with different properties? (This is not in your lab manual, so search elsewhere.) What would be your choice of fat to use, and why? Yes the type of fat used in soap will result in different properties. I would use castor oil, which contains 90% ricinoleic fatty acids, to make a liquid soap. I would want ricinoleic fatty acids

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Unformatted text preview: because they produce a soap that is soFer , condiTons, moisturizes, has lots of ´u²y, stable lather, and is kind to the skin. However if I was required to make a hard bar soap I would use a small amount of castor oil to add the beneµts of ricinoleic fa³y acids, a small amount of beeswax to help harden the soap, and bu³erfat from cows that would have di²erent fa³y acids in it that help to harden the soap and improve the cleanliness of it. 5. If a soap causes dry skin and irritaTon, what is the most likely cause? ±he most likely cause for a soap to cause dry skin and irritaTon would be impuriTes in the soap. In this lab we will be pu¶ng the impurity of ethyl alcohol in our soap to speed up the reacTon. ±his will make it too harsh for repeated use, which would cause dry skin and irritaTon aFer a certain number of uses....
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