Experiment 1

CH 3204

Pre-Laboratory Assignment

Name:………………………………………..Reg.No:………………………..Date:…………

Making Soap

1. When someone asks you to buy him/her a Soap, is it the same thing as Detergent?if yes
explain why and if no explain why.

2. Why is the hydrolysis of a fat called saponification?

3. Define the following terms: triglyceride, saponification, surfactant, micelle.

4. Stearic acid is insoluble in water while Sodium stearate which is a soap is soluble;
what causes the difernce in solubility?Explain.

5. What is the principal safety hazard in Soap making experiment?

6. Explain why soap made by primitive/local methods is likely to be very harsh unlike
the one made by a Bsc chemistry student?

7. Olive oil has a saponification value of 190 mg KOH per gram. This means that it takes
190 mg of potassium hydroxide to react completely with 1 g of olive oil.

a. What is the mole ratio for the reaction of a triglyceride with KOH? (Show
balanced Equation )

b. Divide 0.190 g of KOH by its molar mass to calculate the number of moles of
KOH that will react with 1 g of olive oil.

8. Use the answers to (a) and (b) to determine the number of moles corresponding to 1 g
of olive oil. Divide 1 g by this number of moles to calculate the average molar mass
(g/mole) of olive oil.

NOTE: The above excerice should be done in groups of five (5) people and submited
before the soap making experiment