Expt. #14 - ATQ

EXPERIMENT NO. 14: SAPONIFICATION: HERBAL SOAP-MAKING (CHEM 31.1) CLARICE MAE B. DACASIN 2013-70206 BS Community Nutrition Date Performed: 5 May 2014 Date Submitted: 12 May 2014

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

1. Show and briefly discuss the mechanism and process of saponification.

2. How do soaps act as cleansing agents? Soap is made by the reaction of fats with NaOH solution or lye. Soap is known to dissolve in water. By dissolve, a soap loosens, emulsifies and holds dirt in suspension until it is rinsed. The hydrophilic part of the molecules (ionic head of the long hydrocarbon chain of soap) in soap is, of course, attracted to water while the non-polar ends, or hydrophobic ends, are attracted to dirt, or anything that isn’t water/ polar. By rubbing your hands, dirt is loosened where it allows the soap to get most of the dirt. During washing, the mentioned ionic head takes a micelle form, a spherical structure with the polar portions of molecules on the surface with a non-polar center is attracted to water and carried away from the surface.

Figure 1. Molecule of Soap

REFERENCES Institute of Chemistry (2008). Organic Chemistry Laboratory Manual, 2008 Edition. University of t he Philippines, Diliman: Institute of Chemistry. th Fieser, L. F., & W illiamson, K. L. (1992). Organic Experiments, 7   ed . Canada: D.C. Heath and Company. McMurry, J. (2011). Organic Chemistry with Biological Applications Second Edition. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.