EXPERIMENT 5: Preparation and properties of a soap.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To prepare soap in the laboratory.

(2) To identify the chemical properties of soap by using appropriate chemical reagents.

CHEMICALS: Vegetable oil, ethanol, 20% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, saturated sodium

Chloride (NaCI) solution, ice-cold water, distilled water, 1% aqueous solution of Calcium

Chloride (𝐶𝑎𝐶𝐼2), 1% aqueous solution of Magnesium chloride (𝑀𝑔𝐶𝐼2), 1% aqueous

solution of Iron (III) chloride, 𝐹𝑒𝐶𝐼3 , phenolphthalein indicator, essential oil, vitamin,

colorant, commercial soap, commercial detergent.

APPARATUS: Beaker (100 and 500 mL), measuring cylinder (10,25,50 and 100 mL), magnetic bar,

hot plate, glass rod, vacuum pump, buchner funnel, filter paper, watch glass, pipette

(5 and 10 mL), pipette controller, test tube and cap.

PROCEDURE:
A) Preparation of soap

(1)

250 mL beaker

- Weight 18 to 20 g of vegetable oil

-Add 20 mL of ethanol + 25 mL of 20% sodium hydroxide solution
-Record the mass of vegetable oil.
 (2)

Magnetic stir bar

Magnetic-stirrer hotplate

Heat the mixture for 30 minutes with a constant stirring until the solution become transparent which is soap
solution.

soap solution

(3)

Measuring cylinder

500 mL beaker
100 mL NaCI
solution
 Salt solution

-measure out 100 mL of saturated NaCI solution.

-pour it into a beaker 500 mL to produce a salt solution.

(4)

pour the soap solution into the salt solution

Glass rod

stir the mixture thoroughly with a glass rod

(5)

- add 1 g of essential oil into the mixture

- stir the mixture with glass rod

Mixture solution

Buchner funnel

Suction

- filter the soap by using a Buchner funnel with a

suction.

Ice-cold
water

- Rinse with two separate 10 ml portions of ice-cold water.

- Draw this water through the funnel.

-Dry the soap by spreading it on a filter paper.

 B) Properties and reaction of soaps (compare with commercial soap).

B1) Preparation of soap solutions.

(1) Mix 1 g of the soap produced, commercial soap and detergent with 50 mL warm ultra-pure water in
three different beakers.

A) Soap produced from part A B) Commercial soap C) Detergent

(2) Swirl the solution gently and label the three beakers with A, B and C.

A B C
B2) pH test

(1) Label four separate test tubes.

A B C D
Pour 10 mL of the soap solution produced into test tube A, 10 mL of commercial soap solution
into test tube B, 10 mL of detergent solution into C and 10 mL of ultra-pure water into test tube
D.

(2) – stir each solution with glass rod. – touch the glass rod with a piece of pH paper

(3) Record the pH of each solution.

 B3) Foam test

(1) -stopper each tube from B2. -shake each one continuously for 10 seconds.

(2) observe and record the amount of foam each solution produces.

B4) Interaction with oil

(1) Add 5 drops of oil into each test tube from B3.
(2) Stopper and shake the test tube continuously for 10 seconds.

(3) Observe and record the amount of suds or foam produced.

(4) Compare the amount of suds or foam produced with the amount produced in B3.
 B4 B3

B5) Hard water test

(1) -Label three clean test tubes. -Put 5 mL of soap solution produced, commercial
Soap solution and detergent solution in each tube

A B C

(2) Add 20 drops of 1% of 𝐶𝑎𝐶𝐼2 solution into each tube.

1% of 𝐶𝑎𝐶𝐼2 solution

-stopper each tube. -shake continuously for 10 seconds.

 (3) Observe and record the amount of suds or foam produced.

(4) Compare the amount of suds or foam produced in each tube with the amount produced in B3.

(5) Repeat step 1 until 4 by using 20 drops of 1% 𝑀𝑔𝐶𝐼2 and 𝐹𝑒𝐶𝐼3 solution.

1% 𝑀𝑔𝐶𝐼2 solution 1% 𝐹𝑒𝐶𝐼3 solution.

B6) Basicity test.

(1) Dissolve a small piece of soap produced in 5 mL ethanol.

5 mL of ethanol
 (2) Add 2 drops of phenolphthalein indicator.

Phenolphthalein indicator

(3) Record the color changes of the solution.

PRECAUTION
(1) Wear safety glasses when handling flammable solvents.
(2) Never taste or smell chemicals.
(3) Avoid contact of chemicals with skin.
(4) Dispose of chemical waste as directed by instructor.
(5) Make sure that eyes are perpendicular to the reading scale of measuring cylinder to avoid parallax
error.

POTENTIAL HAZARDS

Flammable
 Corrosive

Health hazard