Suncoast Credit Union

To motivate, introduce, learn and review science and chemistry concepts while making artisan soaps.

Standard(s): Lab Safety; Properties of Matter; Chemical vs Physical Properties and Changes; endothermic vs exothermic processes and reactions; Acid-Base Chemistry; pH & titrations.

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Teaching Science while Making Artisian Soaps

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School:
Palmetto Ridge High 
Subject:
Stem 
Teacher:
Allison Chapman 
Students Impacted:
750 
Grade:
11 
Date:
July 1, 2015

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

 

Mary Seaton Breese - $439.00

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Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 326

Students learned about soap making and how to apply the State Standards and vocabulary about matter (states of matter, heterogeneous vs homogeneous), change (physical vs chemical) and energy (endothermic vs exothermic) to each step of soap making. Students made plain cold-processed soap, tested it (pH lather test) and took a sample of soap home to use. Some students came in during lunch or stayed after school to make more soap. The Chemistry Club sold bars of scented soaps and bath bombs that they made school wide in order to attempt to make this lab a self-sustaining lab experiment. Several students and teachers commented that our soaps and bath bombs helped their problem skin and asked for (and were given more plain soap if they were a student) or bought more (if they were teachers) for their families. Students also made fizzy foot soak mini-peppermint bath bombs for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week and to give their mothers for Mother's Day and were able to apply their knowledge of chemical reactions to this experiment to be completed at home when the foot fizzy is placed in warm water. They were also able to see first hand how water temperature affected the rate of the chemical reaction (double-displacement and acid-base neutralization reaction and decomposition reaction while making carbon dioxide gas bubbles). Proceeds from the Chem Club Soap & Bath Bomb Sale will be used to supply the cost of raw materials so Active Chemistry can make bath bombs next year. The students really like this lab and have asked to be able to make more soap if time permits while we are reviewing for the final exam.

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three loaves of soap

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curing soaps

 

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hot apple pie soap with red clay swirls

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wooden soap molds

 

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inspiration for making bath bombs

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mini foot soakers for Mothers Day and Teacher Appr

 

Original Grant Overview

Goal

To motivate, introduce, learn and review science and chemistry concepts while making artisan soaps.

Standard(s): Lab Safety; Properties of Matter; Chemical vs Physical Properties and Changes; endothermic vs exothermic processes and reactions; Acid-Base Chemistry; pH & titrations.
 

 

What will be done with my students

Students will melt solid fats using low heat and dissolve lye in an ice cube bath while wearing goggles, gloves and lab apron.

Students will take the temperature of the oil and fat mixture and the lye solution using an infrared thermometer and mix the lye solution into the fat/oil mixture.

Students learned about excess and limiting reagents by superfatting the soap and perform a pH lather test and then titrate the soap after it has cured for at least 4 weeks.
 

 

Benefits to my students

Students will follow safety procedures and see first and experience first hand that the melting of palm shortening is an endothermic process and that dissolving lye in water makes a homogeneous mixture and is an exothermic process. They will witness phase changes and measure the temperatures using an infrared thermometer.

Students will witness the difference between physical and chemical changes while watching the saponification reaction that changes fat and lye into soap. They will also measure pH and perform an acid base titration while performing quality assurance tests on their batch of soap. 

 

Budget Narrative

We currently have all the equipment and lye needed to make soap again this year. We just need more fats/oils/colorants and fragrance to make soap with this years' students. I would also like to purchase an infrared thermometer for this on-going lab project.

Last year Whole Foods donated 400 soap bags, coconut oil and some essential oils like peppermint, lavender and tea tree oils to help us make even better artisan soaps.

NCH also donated disposable gloves to be used during this lab. I will ask them to donate the gloves again this year. I also plan to request donations of olive oil from stores like WHOLE FOODS, Publix, Target, Sams Club and CostCo. in order to keep the costs for this lab as low as possible. 

 

Items

# Item Cost
1 pomace olive oil $273.00
2 essential oils $78.00
3 infrared thermometer $45.00
4 colorants $22.00
5 fragrance $21.00
6 gloves $0.00
7 lye $0.00
8 palm oil $0.00
9 distilled water $0.00
10 soap bags $0.00
  Total: $439.00

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Suncoast Credit Union