The Handbook of Soap Manufacture

The Handbook of Soap
Manufacture, by

W. H. Simmons and H. A. Appleton This eBook is for the use of
anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project
Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Handbook of Soap Manufacture
Author: W. H. Simmons H. A. Appleton
Release Date: June 7, 2007 [EBook #21724]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
HANDBOOK OF SOAP MANUFACTURE ***

Produced by Ben Beasley, Richard Prairie, Josephine Paolucci and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This
file was produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/Million Book Project.)

THE HANDBOOK OF

SOAP MANUFACTURE
BY
W. H. SIMMONS, B.Sc. (LOND.), F.C.S.
AND
H. A. APPLETON
WITH TWENTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON SCOTT, GREENWOOD & SON "THE OIL AND
COLOUR TRADES JOURNAL" OFFICES 8 BROADWAY,
LUDGATE HILL, E.C. 1908 [All rights reserved]
Transcriber's note:
For text: A word surrounded by a cedilla such as ~this~ signifies that
the word is bolded in the text. A word surrounded by underscores like
this signifies the word is italics in the text. Greek letters are translated
into English and are in brackets, e.g. [alpha].
For numbers and equations: Parentheses have been added to clarify
fractions. Underscores before bracketed numbers/letters in equations
denote a subscript.
Footnotes have been moved to the end of the chapter and minor typos
have been corrected.

PREFACE
In the general advance of technical knowledge and research during the
last decade, the Soap Industry has not remained stationary. While there
has not perhaps been anything of a very revolutionary character, steady
progress has still been made in practically all branches, and the aim of
the present work is to describe the manufacture of Household and

Toilet Soaps as carried out to-day in an up-to-date and well-equipped
factory.
In the more scientific portions of the book, an acquaintance with the
principles of elementary chemistry is assumed, and in this we feel
justified, as in these days of strenuous competition, no soap-maker can
hope to compete successfully with his rivals unless he has a sound
theoretical as well as practical knowledge of the nature of the raw
materials he uses, and the reactions taking place in the pan, or at other
stages of the manufacture. We also venture to hope that the work may
prove useful to Works' Chemists and other Analysts consulted in
connection with this Industry.
At the same time, in the greater part of the book no chemical
knowledge is necessary, the subject being treated in such a way that it
is hoped those who are not directly engaged in the manufacture of soap,
but who desire a general idea of the subject, will find it of value.
In the sections dealing with the composition and analysis of materials,
temperatures are expressed in degrees Centigrade, these being now
almost invariably used in scientific work. In the rest of the book,
however, they are given in degrees Fahrenheit (the degrees Centigrade
being also added in brackets), as in the majority of factories these are
still used.
As regards strengths of solution, in some factories the use of Baumé
degrees is preferred, whilst in others Twaddell degrees are the custom,
and we have therefore given the two figures in all cases.
In the chapter dealing with Oils and Fats, their Saponification
Equivalents are given in preference to Saponification Values, as it has
been our practice for some years to express our results in this way, as
suggested by Allen in Commercial Organic Analysis, and all our
records, from which most of the figures for the chief oils and fats are
taken, are so stated.
For the illustrations, the authors are indebted to Messrs. E. Forshaw &
Son, Ltd., H. D. Morgan, and W. J. Fraser & Co., Ltd.

W. H. S. H. A. A.
LONDON, September, 1908.

CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION. 1
Definition of Soap--Properties--Hydrolysis--Detergent Action.
CHAPTER II.
CONSTITUTION OF OILS AND FATS, AND THEIR
SAPONIFICATION 6
Researches of Chevreul and Berthelot--Mixed Glycerides--Modern
Theories of Saponification--Hydrolysis accelerated by (1) HEAT OR
ELECTRICITY, (2) FERMENTS, Castor-seed Ferment, Steapsin,
Emulsin, and (3) CHEMICAL REAGENTS, Sulphuric Acid,
Twitchell's Reagent, Hydrochloric Acid, Lime, Magnesia, Zinc Oxide,
Soda and Potash.
CHAPTER III.
RAW MATERIALS USED IN SOAP-MAKING 24
Fats and Oils--Waste Fats--Fatty Acids--Less-known Oils and Fats of
Limited Use--Various New Fats and Oils Suggested for
Soap-making--Rosin--Alkali (Caustic and
Carbonated)--Water--Salt--Soap-stock.
CHAPTER IV.

BLEACHING AND TREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
INTENDED FOR SOAP-MAKING 41
Palm Oil--Cotton-seed Oil--Cotton-seed "Foots"--Vegetable
Oils--Animal Fats--Bone Fat--Rosin.
CHAPTER V.
SOAP-MAKING 45
Classification of Soaps--Direct combination of Fatty Acids with
Alkali--Cold Process Soaps--Saponification under Increased or
Diminished Pressure--Soft Soap--Marine Soap--Hydrated Soaps,
Smooth and Marbled--Pasting or Saponification--Graining
Out--Boiling on Strength--Fitting--Curd