Is there something wrong with this?

[lionprincess00]

I just figured I'd chime in. I pre dissolve 2% PPO sodium citrate into my lye water and 1 tablespoon sugar PPO as well. I typically use a 40% lye concentration which is higher than many soapers use for their standard, I believe, and I always get a yellow almost amber colored water. It does eventually mellow out, and it's never affected my final soap. I do however get a ton of the floaties which is I believe is soda ash developing because of the low water. I also have noticed that I sometimes have some undessolved little white particles at the bottom of my container. I know it's not sodium citrate or sugar because I make sure every piece of it is fully dissolved. I also thought it may be undissopved lye. I get concerned with the thought of lye, but whenever I'm stirring it with a rubber spatula trying to get it to completely dissolve it just doesn't. I really think it's probably an impurity (from thr sodium citrate bag, sugar bag, or lye bottle). So I just strain in a stainless steel sieve, and it works out just fine.

 

[ngian]

I have always though it was the temperature that did it.

Well you can find that out by heating on the stove distilled water with only dissolved sugar in it.

I don't like using lye water that isn't totally dissolved. I maybe paranoid but I want it to be totally clear.

It has happened to me twice but I didn't want to toss the solutions and as a result the final soaps seem to have no problem by that phenomenon.

 

[penelopejane]

Well you can find that out by heating on the stove distilled water with only dissolved sugar in it.
.

That makes toffee which will eventually turn brown.

 

[ngian]

That makes toffee which will eventually turn brown.

I cannot agree with the above as based on the following link:

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/caramelization.htm?fullweb=1

The Caramelization temperatures are:
Sugar. . . . . . Temperature
Fructose. . . 110° C, 230° F
Galactose. . 160° C, 320° F
Glucose. . . . 160° C, 320° F
Maltose. . . . 180° C, 356° F
Sucrose. . . . 160° C, 320° F

I had seen temperature rising up to 80°C maximum when I mix lye with water, so I don't think that the specific temp can caramelise any type of sugar.

 

[cdlf]

I have had the same thing happen to me . I also noticed it forms a gummy mass in the solution . sometimes its settles to bottom and becomes a solid mass . I don't know what is goin on with it but I think I'm going to add my citric acid solution to my oils too. I have had to re batch due to separation and I feel its because of this weirdness . Any chemistry teachers out there that can explain what is happening ?

DLF

 

[earlene]

I have had the same thing happen to me . I also noticed it forms a gummy mass in the solution . sometimes its settles to bottom and becomes a solid mass . I don't know what is goin on with it but I think I'm going to add my citric acid solution to my oils too. I have had to re batch due to separation and I feel its because of this weirdness . Any chemistry teachers out there that can explain what is happening ?

DLF

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