Question

When making soap in chemistry lab the goal is to produce a solid soap from sodium hydroxide that hydrolyzes the lard. Would the texture of the soap chance if potassium hydroxide was used instead?

Answer 1

Sodium hydroxide is used to makes bar soap. It forms a solid, opaque bar soap.

Potassium hydroxide makes liquid soap, which is flowing, clear, or translucent.

explanation

Soap is technically a salt product that is made by combining an alkali with fats or fatty acids. The alkali is the lye. The fats (or fatty acids) are the oils. Sodium hydroxide results in a salt soap that crystallizes to become opaque. A soap made with potassium hydroxide does not crystallize in the same fashion, so it does not become solid or opaque. Although there are ingredients and recipes that can make liquid soap cloudy. No matter the salt compound used, both types of soaps lather, clean, and function like soaps