Experiment #2

Preparation of Soap

Principle:

An ester is a family of organic compounds formed from the reaction between a carboxylic acid and
alcohol. In the presence of a strong base like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, esters can be
hydrolyzed to form sodium or potassium salts of their fatty acids and water. The base hydrolysis of an
ester is called saponification, and the sodium and potassium salts formed is soap.

Vegetable oil is a good starting material for soap production since it is made of triacylglycerol
(triglycerides). A triacylglycerol is made of 3 molecules of fatty acids esterified with a glycerol molecule.
The fatty acids are represented as R for alkyl group. The saponification reaction between triacylglycerol
and sodium hydroxide is shown below:

The objectives of this experiment are:

1. To prepare soap from vegetable oil and sodium hydroxide;

2. To examine the chemical properties of the soap prepared.
Procedure:

A. Preparation of Soap
1. On a top-loading balance, weigh 18 to 20g of vegetable oil on a 150mL beaker. Add 20mL of
ethyl alcohol and 25mL of 20% NaOH solution.
2. Stir the solution and heat it gently on a hot plate until a pastry mass remains in the beaker.
3. Allow the soap mixture to cool. Add 100mL of saturated sodium chloride to “salt-out” or
remove the soap from water, glycerol, and ethanol. Stir gently.
4. Filter the mixture using suction filtration. Rinse the residue (soap) with two 10-mL portions
of cold distilled water. Allow your soap to dry by spreading it on a paper towel/tissue.

B. Reactions of Soap

i. Washing Properties
Take a small amount of your soap and wash your hands with it. Describe the washing
properties of your soap on the report sheet. Rinse your hands several times after the
test.

ii. Basicity

A soap that contains free alkali is harmful to the skin. To test for the presence of free
base, dissolve a small amount of your soap in 5mL of ethyl alcohol and add two drops of
phenolphthalein. If the indicator (phenolphthalein) turns red, free alkali is present.
Record your observation.

iii. Reaction with calcium ions

Dissolve 1g of your soap in 50mL of warm water. Pour about 10mL of soap solution into
each of two test tubes. To the first test tube, add 10 drops of 5% CaCl 2 solution. To the
second test tube, add 1mL of tap water. Record your observations in the report sheet.

iv. Emulsification
Put 5 to 10 drops of kerosene in a test tube containing 8 to 10mL of water and shake it.
An emulsion or suspension of tiny oil droplets in water will form (the solution will look
cloudy). Let this solution stand for a few minutes. Prepare another test tube with the
same ingredients, but add about 0.5g of your soap to it before shaking it. Compare the
stabilities of the emulsions in the two test tubes. Which emulsion seems to contain
smaller droplets? Which emulsions clear up first? Explain. Record your answers on the
report sheet.
Results and Observations:

A) Washing Properties
Soap lathers a lot___, a little ___, not at all _____
Soap feels oily: yes ___ no ___

B) Basicity
Soap solution + indicator: turns pink ____ ; remains colorless ____

C) Reaction with
i) 5% CaCl2: _________________________________

ii) Tap water: _________________________________

D) Emulsification
Emulsion containing smaller droplets:
Kerosene in water ________ ; Kerosene + soap in water _________
Emulsion that clears up first:
Kerosene in water ____________; Kerosene + soap in water _________

Explanation:

Reference:

Weiner, Susan A. and Peters, Edward I. Introduction to Chemical Principles: A Laboratory Approach. 5 th
edition.