University of Antique

College of Teacher Education

Bachelor of Secondary Education
Sibalom, Antique

Experiment No. 1
BSED 2D - SCIE6: Organic Chemistry
Soap Making

SCORE

DecaffeiNILI Group
Osunero, Kim John S.
Mosquera, Aliah C.
Secang, Jenny Rose F.
Cortejo, Jasper

Engr. Ervin M Mission

Instructor
 University of Antique
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Secondary Education
Sibalom, Antique

Objectives:
1. To prepare a simple soap using the available raw materials indicated in the experiment
2. To teach the students how to make soaps using raw materials which they can find in their homes.

Apparatuses:
1. Pots
2. Stirrer
3. Molder
4. Blender (optional)
Raw materials:
1. Cooking oil
2. Lye or NaOH
3. Distilled water
4. Additives such as color, fragrances, spices or herbs (optional)
Precautions:
a. Please read proper handling or msds for lye. Lye are caustic in nature. Wear heat resistant
gloves as lye when mix with water generate enough heat to burn. Wear goggles and mask,
they are not only caustic to the skin, but the fumes they generate when mixed with water
are caustic to the eyes and mucous membranes
Procedures:
1. Dissolve 50 grams of Lye to 100 ml of DISTILLED water. Make sure that Lye is fully
incorporated with the water, as much as possible make sure the solution is saturated. Reaction will
be exothermic, rapid increase in temperature to container is common.
2. Place 100 ml of cooking oil in a pot, preheat the pot with oil.
3. When the oil is hot not boiling, SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY add lye solution. BE CAREFUL,
SPLATTERING WILL OCCUR.
4. Continuously mixing, you may use a blender using a kneading blade to incorporate your solution
until it reaches trace. This means the oils have saponified. Keep blending until it is creamy
5. Once fully trace, you may now add your optional additives such as colors, fragrances, dried herb
and spices.
6. Quickly, but still with care, transfer into molds and tap a few times to release air bubbles.
7. You may, insulate soap that lead to a darker and more transparent finished soap. Not insulating
will result in a lighter and more opaque soap.
8. Wait two days and remove soap mixture.
9. Customize, package to your liking.
 University of Antique
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Secondary Education
Sibalom, Antique

Questions:
Experimental Observations
You may make observations after the soap has dried;

1. Does it smell like any soap that you have used?

As what we have observe, it does not smell like any other soap we had used. It has a
unique scent, somewhat like a light organic smell.

2. Wash your hands with your soap. Does it lather like regular soap?
As what we have observe, the soap can produce bubbles but it does not lather like the
regular soap.

3. Does it clean your hands as well as regular soap? Explain.

We don't think that it cleaned our hands like regular soap because when we used it, it
does not lather that much, it has an oily feeling, it dries the skin and it causes itchiness.

Questions:
1. The saponification reaction occurs between an acid and a base. In the reaction you performed, what
is the acid and what is the base?
The “acid” is fatty acid from the oil. It is liberated from the glycerin Ester by the base in
saponification. The base is a strong alkali like sodium hydroxide or lye.

2. Why is soap water-soluble?

Nonpolar compounds, like oil and grease, cannot dissolve in water. Polar compounds can
dissolve in water. The soap molecule has two different ends, one that is hydrophilic (polar head) that
binds with water and the other that is hydrophobic (non-polar hydrocarbon tail) that binds with grease
and oil. Because of the two different parts of the molecule, a soap molecule is soluble in water and at the
same time can dissolve fats. The fats are attracted to the non-polar tail part of the soap while the polar
head makes the whole complex (soap + fat molecules) dissolve in water.

3. During performance, why did the saponification reaction require the long period of stirring?
Water and oil do not mix, this mixture had to be continuously stirred and heated sufficiently to
keep the fat melted. Slowly, a chemical reaction called saponification would take place between the fat
and the hydroxide which resulted in a liquid soap.
 University of Antique
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Secondary Education
Sibalom, Antique

4. After performance, why did the soap have to “cure” in the molds?
The more important reason to cure your soap is for the water to slowly evaporate over time,
which causes the soap to harden. A harder bar of soap will last longer, produce more lather, and just be
an overall better bar of soap.

5. Do you think that the type of fat used will make a difference in the product? Why or why not?
Yes, the type of oil used makes a difference in the product. Animal fats typically create a harder
bar of soap that may or may not be beneficial to your skin. Vegetable oils produce soap that is generally
softer and gentler to the skin.