Soap facts for kids
Soap is a chemical compound resulting from the reaction of an alkali (commonly sodium or potassium hydroxide) with a fatty acid. When mixed with water during bathing or washing, they help people and clothes get clean by lowering the chance of dirt and oil to get to the skin or fabric. Soaps are made from animal fats or vegetable oils. There are two basic steps in making soap. They are called Saponification and Salting-out of soap.
Soap cleans very well in soft water. It is not toxic to water life. It can be broken down by bacteria. However, it is slightly soluble in water, so it is not often used in washing machines. It does not work well in hard water. It cannot be used in strongly acidic solutions. Hand soaps are only acidic enough to remove unwanted skin oils. For other forms of oil, Dishwashing soap is acidic enough to remove almost all forms of oil without damaging other petrolium products such as Plastic. It does not damage skin either. Soap are the metallic salts of long chain fatty acids.
Many soap experts say that soap can be made in many ways. Humanity has used soap-like things for at least 4000 years. The earliest recorded evidence of the making of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon. A recipe for soap having water, alkali and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC.
The Ebers papyrus (Egypt, 1550 BC) suggests that ancient Egyptians bathed commonly and had animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to make a soap-like substance. Egyptian documents say that a soap-like substance was used in the preparation of wool for weaving.
Images for kids
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A handmade soap bar
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Two equivalent images of the chemical structure of sodium stearate, a typical ingredient found in bar soaps.
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The chemical structure of sodium laureth sulfate, a typical ingredient found in liquid soaps.
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A collection of decorative bar soaps, as often found in hotels
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Structure of a micelle, a cell-like structure formed by the aggregation of soap subunits (such as sodium stearate): The exterior of the micelle is hydrophilic (attracted to water) and the interior is lipophilic (attracted to oils).
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Box for Amigo del Obrero (Worker's Friend) soap from the 20th century, part of the Museo del Objeto del Objeto collection
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Marseille soap in blocks of 600 g
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Caricature of Lillie Langtry, from Punch, Christmas 1890: The soap box on which she sits reflects her endorsements of cosmetics and soaps.
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Manufacturing process of soaps/detergents
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Advertising for Dobbins' medicated toilet soap
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A 1922 magazine advertisement for Palmolive Soap
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Liquid soap
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Dudu-Osun – a popular type of African black soap
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Azul e branco soap – a bar of blue-white soap
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Handmade soaps sold at a shop in Hyères, France
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Traditional Marseille soap
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Modern soap shop in Tübingen (2019)
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The lye is dissolved in water.
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Greases for automotive applications contain soaps
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See also
In Spanish: Jabón para niños
