Comments on: Chemistry question about wood ashes and soap? http://www.soapmakingessentials.com/soap-making-process/chemistry-question-about-wood-ashes-and-soap What Ya Need to Know about soap making Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:49:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: MontyH http://www.soapmakingessentials.com/soap-making-process/chemistry-question-about-wood-ashes-and-soap/comment-page-1#comment-1089 MontyH Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:33:59 +0000 http://www.soapmakingessentials.com/soap-making-process/chemistry-question-about-wood-ashes-and-soap#comment-1089 Making soap requires animal fat (not soluble in water) to be added to Lye (Sodium Hydroxide, a strong base). This adds a Na+ to the fat and makes the fat somewhat soluble in water. The Na+ part sticks out of the large organic part of the new molecule. This sodium is essentially polar and is attracted to water. The rest of the molecule (primarily fat) is essentially non-polar and is attracted to oily materials, like skin oils. This is what allows soap to remove dirt, this bridging between polar and non polar. LeChatlier's principle allows for a system to move away from a stress. Wood ashes tend to contain many minerals which have been absorbed by the tree while growing. This includes sodium. When the ashes are added to the brew, it forces the reaction to the right and produces more soap.<br><b>References : </b><br> Making soap requires animal fat (not soluble in water) to be added to Lye (Sodium Hydroxide, a strong base). This adds a Na+ to the fat and makes the fat somewhat soluble in water. The Na+ part sticks out of the large organic part of the new molecule. This sodium is essentially polar and is attracted to water. The rest of the molecule (primarily fat) is essentially non-polar and is attracted to oily materials, like skin oils. This is what allows soap to remove dirt, this bridging between polar and non polar.

LeChatlier’s principle allows for a system to move away from a stress. Wood ashes tend to contain many minerals which have been absorbed by the tree while growing. This includes sodium. When the ashes are added to the brew, it forces the reaction to the right and produces more soap.
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