For more on how soap works, go here and here.įinally, to tie it all together, let's think about how fire gave us charcoal. WOWZA!!! It was probably only later that someone figured out that the ash+oil mixture could be used to clean other stuff too. The base molecules from the ash would then turn the fat molecules into water-soluble soap molecules, which would then be washed away, leaving the cooking pot as good as new. So, soap making was most likely discovered when some ancient Sumerian pot-scrubbing person was trying to clean a bronze cooking pot encrusted with grease, and in a fit of desperation decided to throw some ash in the water. Importantly, fats/oils/grease do not mix with water, but all the products of saponification (below the arrow in the reaction above) can be dissolved in water. The base-catalyzed saponification of olive oil into fatty acid salts and glycerol. This reaction, known as saponification, is the same reaction that Tyler Durden performs in the movie Fight Club, and is shown in nerd language below: These are known as bases and are so reactive that they will transform fat and oil molecules into soap molecules. Stick with me to the end, because I promise an awesome ending.Īsh can be used to make soap because in addition to the metal ions discussed above, soap contains other ions like carbonate and hydroxide ions. Soap-making instructions and other stuff. This chemical transformation of oil into soap is possibly the first chemical reaction ever devised by humans, aside from burning stuff, of course. It says to mix water, "alkali" (extracted from ash), and oil ( awesome reference, subscription required). ![]() One of the first documented cases of soap making comes from a Sumerian (modern-day Iraq) stone cylinder dating from the third-millennium B.C. ![]() Humans first learned how to make soap using ash!īack-yard soap making in the American South, ca 1939. Now that we know what ash is, which is the first reason why it is awesome, I can tell you the other reason. The resulting ashes, glowing lithium pink and copper green, would probably look AMAZING! If I had way more free time and motivation I would figure out a way to impregnate a tree with copper and lithium ions, then (safely) burn it down. Believe it or not I am a trained professional, do not try this at home. Here is me performing a flame test on a solution of lithium carbonate in methanol:įlame test of lithium carbonate in methanol. ![]() The flame-test emission of metal ions I wish were found in wood ash. Awesome!! Here are two of my favorite flame-test metals, copper and lithium: If you compare the flame-test picture above with the red-hot ash picture, you will notice the red-hot ashes look most similar to the red-hot calcium ions, which is in agreement with the fact that calcium is the most-abundant metal ion in wood ash. The flame-test emission of metal ions commonly found in wood ash (calcium, potassium, and sodium).
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