What kind of material is soap?

Answer 1

Soap, simply speaking, is made of fat or fat-like substances mixed with ashes. This is exactly how the older lye soap was made. Of course, now, they different but similar ingredients, perfume, emollients, hardeners, and so on, but the basic idea is still the same.

Answer 2

Soap is typically made from natural ingredients such as fats or oils that are mixed with an alkali solution, like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. During the soap-making process, these ingredients undergo a chemical reaction called saponification, which produces soap.

Answer 3

The sodium salt of a carboxylic(fatty) acid.

In modern terms it is made by boiling

sodium hydroxide(lye) and palmitic acid together.

The result is sodium palmate (soap).

The palmate anion acts as the fats dirt absorber.

The sodium cation allows it to dissolve in water.

Manufacturers will then put in 'cream's and perfume, to make it 'smooth' and smell nice.

Ordinary soap does NOT lather in salt(sea) water, owing to the 'common ion' effect (sodium cation).

So a soap that lathers in salt water is made with potassium hydroxide. and palmitic acid.

Other organic acids and animal fats canbe used in soap making.