Indeed, topofmurrayhill, there is no substitute for experimental evidence. :)
By the way, your questions were not naive at all! It was a **** good question regarding the residual water in KOH being responsible for the bubbles. It spurred me on to do the experiment and there was a chance that...
OK. Continuing on from my earlier post...
I could wax intellectual about the 'likelihood' of certain amounts of water being present in this reaction to prevent the formation of alkoxide salts. I was going to reason that the fact we see bubbles at all actually shifts the position of equilibrium...
Hi topofmurrayhill,
Finally! A rational argument to challenge my controvertial post! :)
I really do appreciate your comment because sometimes I can get carried away when I start scribbling. I absolutely agree that there would be a significant difference in the product distribution depending on...
Hi Sapo! I suppose you could say it that way, but I really don't find the terms surfactant and emulsifier too helpful (like you said, they basically mean the same thing unless we are prepared to get super technical). But yes, the essence of what I said is that these two processes would *I think*...
Thanks for your reply Efficacious Gentleman! I have just been checking out your website and facebook page - I love the concept of the Efficacious Gentleman. :)
Thanks for that, Susie. I will have a look...
So, your CP liquid soap... Is that made by dissolving KOH in glycerin before adding it to the oils? If so, I am suggesting that it may have transesterfied rather than saponified... It could be zapless because the KOH has indeed been consumed in that...
Hi IrishLass,
Thanks for your reply, I feel a little giddy as you are somewhat of a celebrity on here! :)
I know you are a big fan of the glycerol/KOH method. Have you ever done a comparison between the soap made by this method and (an identical) one made by the traditional method? I'm going...
Hi ngian,
To be clear: what I am saying is that this method would not produce potassium salts of fatty acids. Of course, the potassium is still present! The alkoxide species I am referring to is actually a potassium alkoxide, which is also a salt. It is simply a different salt to the potassium...
Hello Soap Making Forum!
This is my first post on the site (although I have been lurking in the shadows for some time now lol). I should start by saying what an excellent resource this site is for soap makers, with such detailed content and expert opinions. Great work everyone! :)
I am a bit...