Soap

<p>Soap is a <a href="/facts/Salt_(chemistry)/lsSKwGpn">salt</a> of a <a href="/facts/Fatty_acid/JGg3erIu">fatty acid</a> (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are <a href="/facts/Surfactant/zgVX6g8o">surfactants</a> usually used for <a href="/facts/Washing/slJMImIF">washing</a>, <a href="/facts/Bathing/LhV1Is1o">bathing</a>, and other types of <a href="/facts/Housekeeping/4dBoFdAo">housekeeping</a>. In industrial settings, soaps are used as <a href="/facts/Thickener/lNPqbaWy">thickeners</a>, components of some <a href="/facts/Lubricant/9PXISDwU">lubricants</a>, <a href="/facts/Emulsifier/YMSqSCuH">emulsifiers</a>, and <a href="/facts/Catalyst/LPBS7TQC">catalysts</a>.
</p><p>Soaps are often produced by mixing fats and oils with a <a href="/facts/Base_(chemistry)/M9wA7qeM">base</a>. Humans have used soap for millennia; evidence exists for the production of soap-like materials in ancient <a href="/facts/Babylon/Iz0TwTXS">Babylon</a> around 2800 BC.
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Soap open-in-new

Soap