Soap Experiment Essay

949 Words2 Pages

Goals:
The goals of this experiment was to synthesize and test soaps and detergents in order to find which one would be the least destructive for the local environmental group to use to clean the birds. We will compare solubilities, cleaning properties, environmental impact, and leftover scum to see which one is the best for the environmental group’s use.1

Experimental Design:
For the synthesis of soap, two liquids, olive oil and vegetable shortening, and two solids, lard and vegetable shortening, can be used. With the liquids, 10 mL of oil is added to a 250 mL beaker. With the solids, 10 g is added to a 250 mL beaker. Then, 15 mL of a 6 M sodium hydroxide and 1 mL of glycerol is added to each lipid in small increments while stirring continually …show more content…

To test latherability, a small amount of the soap or detergent was added to a test tube and shaken. The latherability was measured by observing the amount of bubbles that formed. Dispersibility was then tested by again mixing a small amount of the soap or detergent with water. After shaken, the amount of oil globules that formed was observed. The pH of the soaps and detergents were then tested by mixing a small amount of the soap or detergent with water. A pH strip was used and compared to a pH chart to determine the pH of the samples. Cleaning ability was tested for the soaps and detergents by using a small sample of the soap or detergent to observe if it could clean small stains off the laboratory sink. A solubility test was also performed to determine what solvents dissolved the soap or detergent. Water, 1 M NaOH, 1 M hydrochloric acid (HCl), toluene, and acetone were the solvents that were used to test solubility. A small piece of the soap or detergent was added to five separate test tubes and each solvent was added separately and observed if dissolution occurred. …show more content…

This was done by using a pH strip and comparing the color to a pH chart. Once the pH of the wastewater was found, a wastewater titration was performed. A If the pH of the solution was a base, an 1 M HCl would be used as the titrant and vice versa. The software, capstone, was used to calculate the change in pH and the number of drops that passed through the drop counter while simultaneously creating a graph. 50 mL of the titrant (in this experiment it was HCl) was first placed in the burette, situated above the wastewater. Slowly the stopcock was opened letting the drops flow through the drop counter into the wastewater. The volume of the titrant dispensed over time was then calculated using the formula: [Drop Count (drops)] *

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