The Chemistry of Soaps

Description

The Chemistry of Soaps — Chemistry Chapter Presentation Slides: 19 | Audience: High school / early-college chemistry, organic chemistry, or applied chemistry students | Format: Editable PowerPoint (.pptx) | Series: Chapter 1 of The Chemistry Spirit (Soaps & Detergents) Every time you wash your hands, you're running an esterification-reversal reaction from the 19th century. This chapter is the foundation of the soaps-and-detergents series — it takes students from raw fats and oils all the way to the micelles that lift grease off skin, with a full lab activity in the middle. Along the way, they meet triglycerides, fatty acids, saponification, and the specific reason why a bar of soap leaves a grey ring in a hard-water bathtub. It's classical organic chemistry taught through an object every student has used a thousand times without ever wondering how it works.