INTRODUCTION

Soap. We use it daily. For cleansing our bodies. For

hand washing our clothes. For disinfecting our

homes. To the average North American, ‘clean’

means spending quality time with a bar of soap at

least once every day. Many of us would recoil in

horror at the thought that our aristocratic 17th-

century ancestors changed their linen shirts daily,

with only a quick dip of hands in water, and nary a

thought for the rest of their bodies. 1

This presentation opens with a brief history of

soap. Next we take a look at how the chemical

composition of soap works to get both our clothes

and bodies clean. We learn about different types

of soap and close with two questions on the small

bar that is such an intimate part of our lives. Soap.

The first time a ‘soap’ word

appears in Roman literature is in

Naturalis Historia. The author,

Pliny the Elder (23 -79 CE)

tells us the word sapo, borrowed

from

the Gauls, refers to a mixture they

used to dye hair red. It was not

used for cleansing themselves or

their clothes. In fact, sapo did not

take on the meaning ‘soap’ in

Latin for another 1000 or so years. 2

THE WORD SOAP

2800 BC: Amidst the ruins of Mesopotamia,

archaeologists

uncover clay cylinders inscribed with the following

recipe for

soap:

ashes (uhulu) + cypress oil + sesame seed oil.

SOAP TIMELINE

1550 BC: The Ebers Papyrus records that the ancient

Egyptians bathed regularly and used vegetable and

animal oils (tallow) combined with alkaline salts to

create a

soap-like material. 1525 BC: The Bible refers to a form of hair gel made

from

mixing ashes together with oil.

175 BC to 150 BC: Citizens of Athens and Rome rub

oil over their bodies before scraping it off with

pumice stones or metal scrapers. The Gauls and

Germans combine ashes with animal fats and rub it

in their hair.2nd Century AD: Greek physician, Galen,

recommends soap for both medicinal and cleansing

purposes on his patient’s skin.

3rd Century AD: Arabs make liquid and solid soaps

using a combination of vegetable and aromatic oils

to sell at markets in Kufa, and Basra. They also start

to use soaps for face

shaving. An Arabian manuscript describes a method

of making soap by mixing sesame oil with a potash,

alkali and some lime, before boiling the concoction,

and pouring it into moulds.

5th Century AD: After Rome falls in 467 A.D, bathing

habits

go downhill. Lack of cleanliness leads to the

devastating

plagues of the Middle Ages including the Black

Death.

600 AD: Soap guilds begin to form in Naples, Italy.

The formula for soap in use today is created. Guild

soap makers use vegetable and animal oils with

plant ashes and perfumes to create body soaps,

shampoos, and laundry detergent.

Italy, Spain, and France quickly become regions

known for soap production because of their wealth of

olive groves.800 AD: During Charlemagne’s reign, soap becomes

one of the products estate stewards tally.

1200 - 1300 AD: Soap manufacturing starts in

London. 14th Century: During the Renaissance, Europeans

start to use soap for personal hygiene.

16th - 17th Century: During the reign of Elizabeth

the First, soap consumption in England is the

highest in all Europe. Indeed the Queen herself

bathed once a month "whether it was necessary or

not." But just as the soap industry was growing

strong in England, it became subject to crippling

taxation and tight restrictions. 1609: Sir Hugh Plat, gives a recipe for 'a delicate

washing ball': Take three ounces of Orace, half an

ounce of Cypres, two ounces of Calamus Aromaticus,

one ounce of Rose leaves, two ounces of Lavender

flowres … incorporate all your powders therewith, by

labouring of them well in a mortar.

1682: King Louis XIV of France guillotines three

unlucky soapmakers for producing a bar that caused

irritation to his skin.

1700 onwards: Better quality soaps made in

Europe, such as Castile soap, use olive oil instead of

animal fats. 1725: In the United States, women make household

soap using lye.

1789: The world’s first transparent soap is produced

in London by Andrew Pears.

Late 18th century: Industrialized manufacture of

soap gears up following crusades in Europe stressing

the relationship between cleanliness and health.

Soap making methods improve dramatically when in

1790, Nicholas LeBlanc, discovers how to make caustic soda (Na2CO3) from table salt (NaCl). This

leads to a decrease in the cost of producing soap

because chemists develop a method for making

natural fats and oils react with caustic soda.

CH2-O

CH-O

CH2-O

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

Trig

lyce

ride

3 S

odiu

m H

ydrox

ides

Na HO

Na HO

Na HO

Na HONa HO

THE FORMATION OF SOAP

Na

Na

Na+

+

+CH2-O

CH-O

CH2-O

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

Trig

lyce

ride

HO-

HO-

HO-

Ions form

THE FORMATION OF SOAP

Na

Na

Na+

+

+CH2-O

CH-O

CH2-O

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3__

Trig

lyce

ride

H O-

H O--

H O-

Oxygen end of hydroxyls attack carbon in the carboxyl groups.

THE FORMATION OF SOAP

*

Na

Na

Na+

+

+CH2-O

CH-O

CH2-O

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

Str

ong C

on

jugate

Base

H O

H O

H O

The hydroxyl bonds with the carbon and the C/O single bond is broken. The intermediate is 3 fatty acids and a strong conjugate base.

-

-

-

3 Fatty Acids

THE FORMATION OF SOAP

*

Na

Na

Na+

+

+CH2-O

CH-O

CH2-O

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

H O

H O

H O-

-

-

The strong base grabs the hydrogen ions from the fatty acids forming`…

THE FORMATION OF SOAP

*

Na

Na

Na+

+

+

CH2-O

CH-O

CH2-O

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

O

C___(CH2)14-CH3

Trig

lyce

ride

H O

H O

H O-

-

-

3 Sodium Palmitates (Soap)

THE FORMATION OF SOAP

ARSEILLES

For more than 600 years, Savon de Marseille has been made in

Marseille, France, In 1688, Louis XIV introduced the Edict of Colbert

limiting the use of the Savon de Marseille to soaps made in the

Marseille area, and only from olive oil. This law still applies, although

the regulations have been relaxed to allow other oils like palm to be

used.

Traditionally, the soap is made by combining sea water from the

Mediterranean, olive oil, together with the alkaline chemicals soda ash

(sodium carbonate) and lye (sodium hydroxide). The concoction is

then heated for several days, before it is poured into moulds, cut into

bars, stamped, and left to harden. Within a month, the soap is ready

to be used.

ASTILE

Castile soaps were first produced in the Castile region of Spain in the

13th century and by 1567, importations of Castile soap through

Antwerp appear in the London port books, In his article, A Short

History of Soap, John Hunt states that barilla (an impure form of

sodium carbonate obtained from plant ashes) was boiled with locally

available olive oil instead of animal fat. By adding brine to the boiled

liquor, the soap was made to float to the surface, where it could be

skimmed off, leaving the excess lye and impurities to settle out. This

produced what was probably the first white hard soap made of 100%

olive oil.

LYCERINE

Glycerin soap is a translucent soap composed of either fat or oil. The

clearness of the soap is due to an alignment of soap molecules which

can be induced by adding alcohol and sugar.

Traditionally, glycerine soap is made by melting and continuously

heating soap that has been partly dissolved in a high percentage

alcohol solution until it reaches a clear, jelly-like state. The mixture is

then simmered with a sugar solution until the soap becomes

translucent. Modern glycerin soaps bases are produced by combining

glycerols and polyols with soap using a method similar to that of

traditional glycerine soapmaking.

What is the world’s most costly soap?

Ever wonder what is the world’s most expensive soap? Well ponder no

more. Plank, a high end producer of all things yoga, is the creator of

the most luxurious bar on the planet, Cor.

Listed amongst its lush ingredients are: chitosan to balance skin tone

and oil levels, sercin—a type of protein created by silkworms—to

retain moisture and provide UV protection and four types of collagen

to maintain skin structure. However it is silver, a mineral known for its

antibacterial properties, which gives Cor the honour of being the

world’s most expensive soap.

Cor retails for $125 per 120 gram bar.

What is African Black Soap?

Over the past couple of years, numerous alternatives to commercially

produced soaps have become available to the consumer. Ingredients

used in these natural homemade soaps largely depend upon the area

of the world in which the buyer resides.

African Black Soap from Ghana is made with 100% natural ingredients

including: coconut and palm kernel oils, raw shea butter, cocoa pod

ash and water. It is a very mild soap and is used to ease the acne

symptoms, eczema psoriasis, dandruff, and ringworm.

African Black Soap is very soft because of its high glycerine content.

High glycerine levels cause the soap to absorb moisture from the air,

so to prevent the soap from becoming too soft, it must be stored in a

cool dry place.

Credits1. Ashenburg, K (2008). An Unsanitised History of Washing. London, UK: London Times

2. Casselman, B (2009). Bill Casslelman’s Words of the World. USA

All graphics (excluding photos) appearing in this presentation are the copyright of Peter Eastman 2011. Powerpoint design copyright of e2gmedia.com