If you’ve ever taken a shower, used Axe body spray, or done your laundry in the past few months, there’s a good chance you’ve used soaps. Soaps are one of the most popular products on the market and for good reason: they work. But how do soaps work? And where do soap bubbles come from? In this blog post, we will explore these questions and more, shedding light on the science behind soap production. From raw materials to soap-making processes to soap bubbles themselves, learn everything you need to know about soap production!
The Science of Soap Making
Soap bubbles are one of the most iconic and memorable aspects of soap making. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what gives soap its bubbly character, and explore some of the science behind it all.
What’s Behind Soap Bubble Formation?
The first thing to understand about soap bubble formation is that it’s not random. Bubbles form due to specific factors, which can be broken down into three main categories: liquid chemistry, gas chemistry, and surface tension. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Liquid Chemistry : One important factor in bubble formation is the composition of the liquid soap mixture. The two main ingredients are water and soap (or surfactant). When these ingredients mix together, they create a range of chemical reactions that produce bubbles. Some common reactions involve the formation of hydrogen gas (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and alcohols (C6-12). These bubbles rise due to their high pressure (due to the concentration of molecules inside them) and sudden decrease in surface area (as they burst).
: One important factor in bubble formation is the composition of the liquid soap mixture. The two main ingredients are water and soap (or surfactant). When these ingredients mix together, they create a range of chemical reactions that produce bubbles. Some common reactions involve the formation of hydrogen gas (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and alcohols (C6-12). These bubbles rise
Types of Soaps
There are a number of types of soap bubbles, each with its own properties that affect how well it cleanses skin. Soap films and mousses are created using liquid soap and air. Liquid soap dissolves in water to form a colloidal suspension of tiny soap molecules. When the air is added, the mixture becomes a gas, and the gas bubbles cause the film or mousse to expand.
Epsom salts are also used in some soaps to create bubbles. Epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur which react when wet to produce magnesium sulfate and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The H2S gas creates small bubbles when it reacts with water vapor, which gives soaps their characteristic bubbly appearance.