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Juniata Valley organic chemistry students, from the left, Madison Belinda, Anna Kuntz and Megan Belinda proudly showed their assortment of soap formulated in the chemistry lab after learning about the process of saponification on a molecular level.
Juniata Valley organic chemistry students, from the left, Madison Belinda, Anna Kuntz and Megan Belinda proudly showed their assortment of soap formulated in the chemistry lab after learning about the process of saponification on a molecular level.
When it comes to the study of organic chemistry, few people truly understand how the intermolecular attractions between microscopic carbon and hydrogen atoms cause both simple and complex reactions. What they fail to realize, however, is that many of these unique reactions occur in our everyday lives.
A prime example of this is soap, or more specifically, the process of saponification, a hydrogen reaction in which ”free hydrogen peroxide breaks the ester bonds between the fatty acids and glycerol of a triglyceride.” To put it simply, soap successfully lifts dirt, oil and bacteria from the skin due to pin-shaped molecules called micelles bonding with the hydrophilic head of water molecules while and the hydrophobic tail bonding with oils and fats.
After learning the chemistry behind the common household item, Organic chemistry students Madison Belinda, Megan Belinda and Anna Kuntz took to the lab to watch the process unfold before their eyes. With the supervision and guidance of chemistry teacher Tara Yorke, the students are working to make various soap recipes with a variety of different vegetable butters, oils and solid products while simultaneously taking notes to record findings and conduct individual lab reports on various hypotheses once the project is complete.
Upon gathering necessary preliminary information, such as an introduction to saponification, lab safety, producers and ingredient details, one can begin setting up all necessary equipment. To successfully make soap, one will need a hot cooktop or hot plate, heat-resistant containers for mixing, silicone spatulas, metal whisks, nonstick molds, and sodium hydroxide, more commonly known as lye, in addition to their main ingredients.
Having experience working in the chemistry lab, members of Yorke’s organic chemistry class used glass beakers for mixing, mixed lye and water in the fume hood and wore protective safety goggles to avoid the dangers that can arise when working with chemicals of any kind.
The soap making process itself is actually quite simple. First, one starts by heating butters and oils on low temperature, being sure to mix periodically. While the oils are heating, one can create a lye solution by slowly adding the appropriate amount of sodium hydroxide to water, being sure to add the sodium hydroxide closely, as the reaction causes the solution to rapidly rise in temperature.
After the oils are completely melted, one can slowly add the lye to the oils, making sure to stir continuously. Once the lye is completely added, one can use either a hand mixer or manual stir the solution until it begins to trace. Tracing is described as “the point at which the soap will leave a mark when soap from the spatula is drizzled over soap in the container.” After clear signs of tracing have been shown and the solution is visibly thicker, it is ready to be poured into molds and left to cure for approximately 4-6 weeks.
When asked how she got inspiration for soap making, Yorke responded by saying that “Our new textbook, which I really like, uses soap as an example of the ways in which different functional groups on a molecule affect solubility. I remember enjoying making soap at a Science in Motion workshop years ago with Tom Spicher, a chemistry teacher at Huntingdon.”
“Unlike many organic reactions, saponification can be done safely with just a few modifications — safety glasses, nitrile gloves, and a fume hood — all of which we have,” explains Yorke. “The making and use of the sodium hydroxide solution presents the only real hazards since the other regents are oils and butters, which can be messy, but are quite safe.”
After conducting research into supplies needed for the experiment, Yorke decided to give it a go with her Organic Chemistry class. “The process has gone quite smoothly so far,” reports Yorke. “To start, I gave the students some information to use that I found online at fromnaturewithlove.com, but I instructed them to do further research for any additional information or questions that they may have had. From that research, each student created a procedure, an initial recipe using the available ingredients, and a second recipe with one change from the original. They then formulated a hypothesis of what effect that change in the recipe might have on the soap.”
Initially focusing on one recipe per day, students prepare their recipe for the following day ahead of time via preserving pre-measured ingredients in beakers to ensure they remain effective. This way, they can begin the mixing process earlier in class and are more likely to finish on time.
“As the students work, they are also working to determine what factors may affect how quickly the soap traces in an effort to shorten the time required,” says Yorke. “Other than our time running long some days, the only other problem we’ve really had has been a broken beaker or two. Lucky for us, they were empty at the time.”
In addition to enjoying the simple procedure that saponification allows for, students will gain experience regarding lab projects, from researching, planning, and creating a lab procedure to actually performing, altering and testing that procedure in the lab. They will then write a lab report about the experiment, a skill that Yorke emphasizes will be “excellent preparation for college science courses.”
“I sincerely hope that my students are enjoying this activity and are making some happy memories in their high school Organic Chemistry class,” says Yorke. “I do acknowledge that they will most likely not enjoy that writing of the lab report, but perhaps they’ll revisit this experience in later years and make some soap as a hobby or family activity. Or not. Either way, I hope that they are finding some joy in this journey.”
“The soap making process is a lot of fun and such a cool experience,” says Senior Madison Belinda, a member of Yorke’s Organic Chemistry class. “In addition to learning how to make soap, I have learned how Organic Chemistry ties in with saponification and what reactions have to occur in order to make soap.
“I was surprised at how easily soap is made,” comments Belinda. “Overall, I recommend everyone give soap making a try at some point because it is a unique and valuable learning process and allows individuals to see firsthand what goes into providing everyday household products.”
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Cloudy with showers. High 54F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Updated: April 8, 2022 @ 2:40 pm
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