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Soap is a Surfactant cleaning compound used for personal or minor Cleaning . It usually comes in solid Mould ed form, termed '''bars'''. In somewhat recent years, the use of thick Liquid soap has become increasingly widespread, especially from Soap Dispenser s in public Washroom s. Soap is used in conjunction with Water for washing and cleaning. The wet soap residue and the dirt or soil are rinsed off with clean water afterwards. In the developed world, synthetic Detergent s have superseded soap as a Laundry aid. Many soaps are mixtures of Sodium or Potassium Salt s of Fatty Acid s which can be derived from oils or fats by reacting them with an Alkali (such as Sodium or Potassium Hydroxide ) at 80°–100 °C in a process known as Saponification . The fats are Hydrolyzed by the base, yielding Glycerol and crude soap. Historically, the alkali used was Potash made from the deliberate burning of vegetation such as Bracken , or from wood ashes. Soap is derived from either oils or fats. ''Sodium Tallowate'', a common ingredient in many soaps, is in fact derived from Rendered animal fat. Soap that is made of vegetable oils, such as Olive Oil , are generally termed Castile Soap . s.]] PURIFICATION AND FINISHING The common process of purifying soap involves removal of Sodium Chloride , Sodium Hydroxide , and Glycerol . These impurities are removed by Boiling the crude soap Curd s in water and re-precipitating the soap with salt. Most of the water is then removed from the soap. This was traditionally done on a chill roll which produced the soap flakes commonly used in the 1940s and 1950s. This process was superseded by spray dryers and then by vacuum dryers. The dry soap (approximately 6-12% Moisture ) is then compacted into small pellets. These pellets are now ready for soap finishing. Soap finishing is the process of converting raw soap pellets into salable product, usually bars. Soap pellets are combined with fragrances and other materials and blended to homogeneity in an amalgamator (mixer). The mass is then discharged from the mixer into a refiner which, by means of an auger, forces the soap through a fine wire screen. From the refiner the soap passes over a roller mill (French milling or hard milling) in a manner similar to Calendering paper or plastic or to making Chocolate Liquor . The soap is then passed through one or more additional refiners to further plasticize the soap mass. Immediately before extrusion it passes through a vacuum chamber to remove any entrapped air. It is then extruded into a long log or blank, cut to convenient lengths, passed through a metal detector and then stamped into shape in refrigerated tools. The pressed bars are packaged in many ways. soap. This process is most common in creating soaps used for human hygiene. The scouring agents serve to remove dead skin cells from the surface being cleaned. This process is called Exfoliation . Many newer materials are used for exfoliating soaps which are effective but do not have the sharp edges and poor size distribution of pumice. USE Although the word ''soap'' continues to be used informally in everyday speech and product labels, in practice nearly all kinds of "soap" in use today are actually synthetic Detergent s, which are less expensive, more effective, and easier to manufacture. While effort has been made to reduce their negative effect upon the environment, the results have been mixed. Soaps are useful for cleansing because soap Molecule s attach readily to both Nonpolar Molecule s (such as Grease or Oil ) and polar molecules (such as Water ). Although grease will normally adhere to skin or clothing, the soap molecules can attach to it as a "handle" and make it easier to rinse away. Allowing soap to sit on any surface (skin, clothes etc) over time can imbalance the moisture content on it and result in the dissolving of fabrics and dryness of skin. ::::(water soluble end) :CH3-(CH2)n - COONa :(fatty end) The hydrocarbon ("fatty") portion dissolves dirt and oils, while the ionic end makes it soluble in water. Therefore, it allows water to remove normally-insoluble matter by Emulsification . THE HISTORY AND PROCESS OF SOAP MAKING See Also: Soapmaking The earliest known evidence of soap use are Babylonian clay cylinders dating from 2800 BC containing a soap-like substance. A formula for soap consisting of water, alkali and Cassia Oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC. The Ebers Papyrus (Egypt, 1550 BC) indicates that Ancient Egyptians bathed regularly and combined animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to create a soap-like substance. Egyptian documents mention that a soap-like substance was used in the preparation of Wool for weaving.
The Arabs made the soap from vegetable oil as olive oil or some aromatic oils such as thyme oil. Sodium Lye (Al-Soda Al-Kawia) NaOH was used for the first time and the formula hasn't changed from the current soap sold in the market. From the beginning of the 7th century soap was produced in Nablus (Palestine), Kufa (Iraq) and Basra (Iraq). Arabian Soap was perfumed and coloured, some of the soaps were liquid and others were hard. They also had special soap for shaving. It was commercially sold for 3 Dirhams (0.3 Dinars) a piece in 981 AD. A story encountered in some places claims that soap takes its name from a supposed " word ''sapo'' simply means "soap"; it was borrowed from a Celtic or Germanic language, and is Cognate with Latin ''sebum'', "tallow", which appears in Pliny the Elder's account. Roman animal Sacrifice s usually burned only the bones and inedible entrails of the sacrificed animals; edible meat and fat from the sacrifices were taken by the humans rather than the gods. Animal sacrifices in the ancient world would not have included enough fat to make much soap. The legend about Mount Sapo is probably a Hoax . Historically, soap was made by mixing animal fats with Lye . Because of the Caustic lye, this was a dangerous procedure (perhaps more dangerous than any present-day home activities) which could result in serious Chemical Burn s or even Blindness . Before commercially-produced lye was commonplace, it was produced at home for soap making from the ashes of a wood fire. Castile Soap , made from Olive Oil , was produced in Europe as early as the 16th Century . In modern times, the use of soap has become universal in industrialized nations due to a better understanding of the role of Hygiene in reducing the population size of Pathogenic Microorganisms . Manufactured bar soaps first became available in the late nineteenth century, and Advertising campaigns in Europe and the United States helped to increase popular awareness of the relationship between cleanliness and health. By the 1950s, soap had gained public acceptance as an instrument of personal hygiene. HANDMADE SOAP Some individuals continue to make soap in the home. The traditional name " Soaper ", for a soapmaker, is still used by those who make soap as a Hobby . Those who make their own soaps are also known as soapcrafters. The most popular soapmaking processes today is the Cold Process method, where fats such as Olive Oil react with Lye . Soapmakers sometimes use the Melt And Pour process, where a premade soap base is melted and poured in individual molds. This is not really to be considered soap-''making'' though. Some Soaper s also practice other processes, such as the historical Hot Process , and make special soaps such as Glycerin Soap . Handmade soap differs from industrial soap in that, usually, an excess of fat is used to consume the alkali (''superfatting''), and in that the Glycerin is not removed. Superfatted soap, soap which contains excess fat, is more skin-friendly than industrial soap; though, if not properly formulated, it can leave users with a "greasy" feel to their skin. Often, Emollient s such as Jojoba oil or Shea Butter are added 'at trace' (the point at which the saponification process is sufficiently advanced that the soap has begun to thicken), after most of the oils have Saponified , so that they remain unreacted in the finished soap. DISADVANTAGES Today, fat-based soaps have mostly been superseded by modern Detergent s. Washing agents do not contain soap for cleaning fabric, but for reducing foam. The disadvantages of commercial soaps are:
Commercially made bar soaps are formulated to mitigate all of these disadvantages:
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