Question

Soap was never actually discovered but instead gradually evolved from crude mixtures of alkaline and fatty material. Up to 1800, soap was believed to be a mechanical mixture of fat and alkali, then Chevreul, a French chemist showed that soap formation, was actually a chemical reaction.
Which one of the following follows from the above statement?

• A. Chevreul discovered the process of soap making
• B. Alkaline and fatty material, both being natural material, their mixture which is used as soap is still natural materials mixture
• C. Soap is a natural product, whose existence was later established
• D. Crude mixing of alkaline and fatty material in early days was actually chemical process of formation of soap

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Crude mixing of alkaline and fatty material in early days was actually chemical process of formation of soap

Soap making has remained unchanged over the centuries. The ancient Roman tradition called for mixing rain water. potash and animal tallow. Making soap was a long and arduous process. First, the fat had to be rendered . Then potash solution was added. Since water and oil do not mix, this mixture had to be continuously stirred and heated sufficiently to keep the fat melted. Slowly a chemical reaction called saponification would take place between the fat and the hydroxide which resulted in a liquid soap. When the fat and water no longer separated, the mixture was allowed to coll. At this point salt, such as sodium chloride, was added to separate the soap from the excess water. The soap came to the top, was skimmed off, and placed in wooden molds to cure. It was aged many months to allow the reaction to run to completion.