What is soap?
   

• -Soap is a surfactant used with water to wash and clean various surfaces
• -Soap is available in a solid bar as well as a liquid
• -Here is a site where you can learn more about what soap is
  

How soap works:

• -Soap molecules easily attach to grease, oil, and water, making it easier to clean things
• -The active ingredients in soap are fat and lye
• -This is the general equation for making soap:[RCO]₃[C₃H₅O₃](s) + 3 NaOH(aq) -----> 3 RCOONa(aq) + C₃H₅(OH)₃(aq)
  

History:

• -Before soap was around, people just rinsed things with water
  
• -The first people to use soap were the poeple in Ancient Babylon around 2800 B.C.
• -The Babylonians boiled fats with ashes to create their bars of soap
• -Here is another site where you can learn more about the history of soap
  

SSources:

• -http://www.deancoleman.com/whatissoap.htm
• -http://www.cleaning101.com/cleaning/history/
• -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap
  

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