| MadSci Network: Chemistry |
I'd love to get you a more encouraging answer, but as far as I can tell most of the common consumer products contain a rash of complex materials that would be beyond the scope of a simple laboratory experiment to create. For instance, most of the water soluble tootpastes, shampoos, soaps, etc contain engineered long-chain polymers, lauryl sulfates, polyethylene glycols, etc. Like the prepared foods of our day, nothing is simple anymore.
One alternative would be to check a good library for a Formulary such as the US Pharmacopia. You may be able to find older, simple mixtures of skin lotions, shampoos, etc that will involve simple items such as zinc oxide.
However in most cases these are just solutions or suspensions and no reactions are taking place which might limit their value as teaching aids.
Another option would be to prepare by reaction a simple sulfa drug. This has the advantage of being a true organic reaction that makes a useful product and can be done in a short lab. I believe a quick literature search thru laboratory textbooks will turn up a number of such experiments with the lists of reagents and equipment required.
And please don't hesitate to resubmit your query, it is likely that another Mad Scientist will have a more useful insight!
Further information offered by Jeremy Meyers: Dec 25th, 1996
Posted by Jeremy Meyers
Grade level: 10-12
School: Urban Academy
City: New York State/Province: NY
Country: USA
Area of science: Chemistry
Message:
I noticed in the archives that someone was looking for a recipie for soap. Heres the one we use @ school
1.Place 10 grams of lard (or any other fat, such as oil or butter) in a beaker
2.SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY (you'd better do this...this stuff is dangerous) add 15mL of 6N sodium hydroxide
3.Add 50mL of ethyl alcohol
4. Gently heat this mixture under low head, stirring with a glass stirring rod until the base has completely reacted with the lard (about 20 to 30 minutes)
5.After all of the base has reacted, add 20mL of water and stir
6.Cool the mixture. Add 12g of sodium chloride (table salt) to 50mL of water. Pout the cooled mixture of base and lard into the NaCl mixture (not the other way around)
7. Let this new mixture cool completely. The solid cake that forms is the soap (whats left, if you do it out chemically, is glycerol)
peace
Jeremy