Preparation and Properties of Soap

Objectives:
1. To prepare a sample of soap.
2. To observe the emulsifying properties of soap.
3. To investigate the effect of hard water on the action of soap.
Background:
Soap has been prepared for many centuries by boiling animal fat with a strongly
alkaline solution of the ashes of hardwood (lye, NaOH), and then salting out the soap
from the resulting mixture by adding common salt. The general reaction is called
saponification, but is actually a hydrolysis of the ester (fat) to form its sodium salt and
the parent alcohol. Triglycerides (common fats) are esters of fatty acids and glycerol,
so when they are hydrolyzed to form soap, the glycerol is released a side product.
H
H

O
O

C R
O

H
O

C R + 3 NaOH
O

H + 3 Na

H
Fat

Lye

H
Glycerol

+ -

Soap

(Note: Identical R groups are shown here; they may differ.)

Different kinds of R groups give different characteristics to the soap. Tallow (animal
fat) is mostly stearic acid (18-carbon chain) and the soap made from it is primarily
sodium stearate (a hard soap). Coconut oil is an ester of lauric acid (12-carbon chain)
and the sodium laurate is soft, and lathers well under adverse conditions. We will use
cottonseed or vegetable oil as the fat source (cheapand smells better than tallow).
Soaps entrap oil or grease and allow it to wash away from hands or clothes. They can
do this because a soap molecule is long and has a different type of bonding at each
end. The R group forms a nonpolar tail. This bonds well the oil or grease (also
nonpolar). The ionic, negatively-charged head of the soap molecule interacts with the
dipole of water, and makes the entire molecule (including the attached oil) watersoluble. In fact, the picture is slightly more complicated: several soap molecules entrap
an oil globule with their nonpolar tails and their heads all interact with water
molecules, making the action much more effective than if just one soap molecule were
involved (see illustration below).
Several things may cause problems with the normal action of the soap
molecules. One of these is the presence of left-over starting materials. Extra fat will
make the soap feel greasy. Extra lye will make the soap feel very slippery (it will also
irritate the skin of the user). A second problem is caused by the presence of positively1/5

charged ions (usually metal ions) in the water (hard water). These tend to bond with
the negative end of the soap molecule, either precipitating the molecule completely, or
interfering with the ion-dipole interactions between the soap molecule and the water.

Procedure
Safety:
20% NaOH is an extreme eye hazard and also a contact hazard. Check to
see that goggles fit snugly. Wash spills off skin and work area with plenty of water
and neutralizer.
Ethanol is flammable. Follow directions carefully on the heating step.
Bumping may spatter the contents of the beaker. Heat carefully!
1. Place 10 grams of vegetable oil in a 150 mL beaker (see sample, but do not
use it).
2. Add 10 mL of ethanol and 13 mL of 20% aqueous NaOH (sodium hydroxide)
solution. Caution: stir the mixture carefully.
3. Place the beaker on a wire gauze supported on a ring stand and heat gently
with a Bunsen burner. Keep the flame away from the top of the beaker. (The alcohol
will evaporate, but it should not catch fire!) Continue to stir as the heating progresses.
When you think the alcohol has evaporated, waft some of the vapors to your nose and
check for alcohol smell. Continue to heat until the odor of alcohol has disappeared, and
a pasty mass remains in the beaker. This is a mixture of the soap and the glycerol
produced as a by-product. This mixture tends to bump, producing
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large bubbles of vapor which can spatter hot product. Therefore, control the flame and
watch for bumping, immediately removing the flame if it occurs.
4. Add 50 mL of saturated aqueous NaCl (sodium chloride) solution to your soap
preparation and stir the mixture thoroughly with a glass stirring rod. This process is
called salting out and is used to remove the soap from the water, glycerol, and any
excess sodium hydroxide present.
5. Vacuum filter the mixture (clamp the filter flask to hold it in place) and wash the
soap cake once with ice water. Get the soap as dry as possible by cutting it up with a
spatula while air is being pulled through the filter.
6. Weigh your dried soap and record the mass.
Properties of your soap
Prepare a soap solution as follows:
Warm about 0.5 g of soap and 25 mL of deionized water in a 100 mL beaker.
When the soap dissolves to give a fairly clear solution, discontinue heating and use this
solution (where indicated) for the following steps.
1. Emulsification: Place 5 mL of deionized water into each of two test tubes and
add 5 drops of kerosene to each. To one tube, add about 0.2 g of your dry soap. Shake
each test tube gently. Compare the stabilities of the two emulsions, by describing how
the two mixtures appear after sitting a few minutes.
2. Water hardness: Pour 5 mL of your soap solution into each of 4 test tubes
(one test tube will be a control). Add 5 drops of 5% aqueous CaCl 2 solution to the first
test tube, 5 drops of 5% aqueous MgCl2 to the second tube, 5 drops of 5% aqueous
FeCl3 to the third tube, and 5 drops of deionized water to the fourth tube. Mix each
solution. Let these solutions stand until you have finished the other tests.
3. Washing properties: Try to wash your hands with a small amount of your dry
soap, using deionized water. Comment on the lathering properties and the feel of the
soap (very slippery, greasy, or about normal). Try again to wash your hands with the
same amount of your dry soap sing tap water. Do you notice any difference in lathering
properties?
4. Basicity: Dissolve a small piece of your dry soap in 5 mL of ethanol and then
add two drops of phenolphthalein indicator. A pink color indicates too much hydroxide
ion in the soap (residual lye from the preparation of your soap).

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Report form: Preparation

Name: _________________________

and Properties of Soap

Sect. No. ____________

Preparation:
Yield of dry soap

______________ g

Properties
Emulsification:
Observations of kerosene and water mixture

Observations of kerosene, soap and water mixture

Hard water effects:

Observation of test with CaCl2 solution
Observation of test with MgCl2 solution
Observation of test with FeCl3 solution
Observation of test with water (control)

Washing properties
Evaluation of your soap: did it contain extra ingredients? _________
If so, which one was still present? ____________________________
How did you know?

Difference in lathering properties with tap and deionized water

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Basicity
Color of soap/ethanol solution with added phenolphthalein _______

Is there extra lye in your soap? ______

Explain:

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