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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: 0rvilleJenkenson on May 10, 2017, 12:36:09 PM

Title: Reacting Lye (NaOH) with Food Additives, Preservatives, Conditioners. Dangers ?
Post by: 0rvilleJenkenson on May 10, 2017, 12:36:09 PM: Hello everyone,

I am a soapmaker. As you all know, in order to make soap, one has to combine dissolved lye (NaOH) with fats and/or oils.

My concern is that the various oils like coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, bacon grease, castor oil, avocado oil may have preservatives, conditioners, coloring, and other additives. If lye gets in contact with food additives such as these, is anything dangerous or toxic produced ?

Thanks for your time.
Title: Re: Reacting Lye (NaOH) with Food Additives, Preservatives, Conditioners. Dangers ?
Post by: billnotgatez on May 11, 2017, 05:18:19 PM: @0rvilleJenkenson
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Title: Re: Reacting Lye (NaOH) with Food Additives, Preservatives, Conditioners. Dangers ?
Post by: Enthalpy on May 12, 2017, 12:42:45 PM: Hi 0rvilleJenkenson,

Maybe your question lacks information to get answers. "Preservatives, conditioners, coloring, and other additives" is quite general, and NaOH reacts with many compounds, so telling whether some reaction products are dangerous is impossible.

Would you know more precisely what additives you expect in your oils? And if possible the amount, since a dose small enough makes deleterious compounds acceptable.
Title: Re: Reacting Lye (NaOH) with Food Additives, Preservatives, Conditioners. Dangers ?
Post by: 0rvilleJenkenson on May 14, 2017, 08:20:13 PM: Sorry about that.

Here are the additives (in bacon and bacon grease)

1. sodium phosphates
2. sodium ascorbate
3. sodium nitrite
4. sodium erythorbate
5. corn syrup
Title: Re: Reacting Lye (NaOH) with Food Additives, Preservatives, Conditioners. Dangers ?
Post by: Enthalpy on May 15, 2017, 02:11:59 PM: Wait for the chemists' opinion, but my gut feeling is that any compound called "sodium ...ate" will not react at all with sodium hydroxide.