Glycerin made by saponification | Soapy Stuff (2024)

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When soap is made by reacting fats with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH), a certain amount of glycerin is naturally created by the saponification reaction. You can easily calculate the amount of glycerin produced.

Glycerin from NaOH saponification

In typical cold-process or hot-process soaps made with NaOH, 0.77 grams of glycerin are created for every 1 gram of NaOH used to make the soap. (Or 0.77 ounces glycerin for every 1 ounce NaOH.)

Glycerin weight = 0.77 X (NaOH weight)

Total paste weight = Fat weight + NaOH weight + Water weight

% glycerin in the newly made soap = Glycerin weight / Total paste weight X 100

This relationship between NaOH and glycerin is accurate regardless of the amount and type of fats in the recipe. (See also "Limitations" below.)

Glycerin from KOH saponification

In a typical liquid soaps or shaving soaps made with KOH, 0.55 grams of glycerin are made for every 1 gram of KOH. (Or 0.55 ounces glycerin for every 1 ounce KOH.)

Glycerin weight = 0.55 X (KOH weight)

Total paste weight = Fat weight + KOH weight + Water weight

% glycerin in the newly made soap = Glycerin weight / Total paste weight X 100

This relationship between KOH and glycerin is accurate regardless of the amount and type of fats in the recipe. (See also "Limitations" below.)

Glycerin from dual lye saponification (recipe uses KOH and NaOH)

Recipes for cream soaps, some types of shaving soaps, and dual-lye bar soaps use both KOH and NaOH. For these dual-lye recipes, separately calculate the glycerin created by each alkali and add the two numbers together.

Glycerin weight = 0.77 X (NaOH weight) + 0.55 X (KOH weight)

Total paste weight = Fat weight + NaOH weight + KOH weight + Water weight

% glycerin in the newly made soap = Glycerin weight / Total paste weight X 100

This relationship between NaOH, KOH, and glycerin is accurate regardless of the amount and type of fats in the recipe. (See also "Limitations" below.)

Glycerin content after cure

During cure, water evaporates from the soap, but the weight of the other ingredients, including the glycerin, will not change. I estimate the percentage of glycerin in a typical cured bath soap will be about 2% higher than in the newly made soap.

Limitations of this method

These formulas are based on the assumption that ALL of the lye reacts with triglyceride fats to make soap, so they will not be accurate if your recipe includes one or more of these characteristics --

Unusually lye heavy. The recipe can have a zero % superfat, a slight negative superfat % (down to about -3%), or any positive superfat %.
Fatty acids (example: stearic acid)
Ingredients that consume lye, but do not make soap (examples: rosin, pine tar)

Any soap that is very lye-heavy or made with fatty acids or other unusual ingredients will contain less glycerin than you will calculate from these formulas.

Example for NaOH

Here's a simple, classic soap recipe:

Coconut oil 30 grams
Olive oil 70 grams

superfat 5%
28% lye solution concentration

I calculated these weights for lye and water for the recipe:

NaOH 14.6 grams
Water 37.7 grams

How much glycerin will be in this soap from the saponification process?

Glycerin weight = (14.6 grams) X (0.77) = 11.2 grams

What percent of glycerin is in this newly made soap?

Total paste weight = 30 + 70 + 14.6 + 37.7 = 152.3 grams

% glycerin in the newly made soap = 11.2 / 152.3 X 100 = 7.4%

% glycerin in the cured soap ~ 7.4% + 2% = 9.4%

********

Extra credit. Where did I come up with this mysterious 0.77 factor?

Useful molecular weights --

Sodium hydroxide, NaOH = 39.997 grams / mole
Glycerin, C3H8O3 = 92.094 grams / mole

Note: A "mole" is a unit of measure that chemists often use. One mole is equal to 624,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules.

Chemical reaction for saponification --

3 moles NaOH + 1 mole Fat -> 3 moles Soap + 1 mole Glycerin

This chemical reaction tells me the "stoichiometric ratio" for NaOH and Glycerin is this --

1 mole glycerin is created when 3 moles NaOH are consumed during saponification

Using the stoichiometric ratio and the molecular weights, I can calculate the "weight ratio" of the grams of glycerin produced when a gram of NaOH is saponified --

Weight ratio = (1 mole glycerin x 92.094 g glycerin/mole) / (3 moles NaOH x 39.997 g NaOH/mole) = 0.7675 gram glycerin / 1 gram NaOH

Rounding to 2 decimal places, the answer is this --

0.77 grams glycerin is created for every 1 gram NaOH consumed

For KOH, 1.403 grams of KOH are chemically equivalent to 1 gram of NaOH. Use this information to find how many grams of glycerin are produced per gram of KOH --

Weight ratio = (0.77 g glycerin / 1 g NaOH) x (1 g NaOH / 1.403 g KOH)
= 0.77 / 1.403
= 0.55 gram glycerin / 1 gram KOH

Glycerin made by saponification | Soapy Stuff (2024)

FAQs

What is the saponification of glycerin? ›

Glycerin is a natural by-product of the saponification process. When oil reacts with alkaline, it forms soap and glycerol. It is common for glycerin to be made this way, with chemists going so far as to formulate soaps in order to extract the glycerin to use in other cosmetic products such as lotions and conditioners.

How is glycerin made? ›

Glycerin occurs naturally in fermented foods and beverages, including beer, honey, vinegar, wine and wine vinegar. It is also commercially produced from fats and oils or through the fermentation of yeast, sugar or starch.

What happens to glycerol after saponification? ›

Saponification can be defined as a “hydration reaction where free hydroxide breaks the ester bonds between the fatty acids and glycerol of a triglyceride, resulting in free fatty acids and glycerol,” which are each soluble in aqueous solutions.

How much glycerin is in homemade soap? ›

The mixture may contain around 15-20% of glycerin and is heated until it reaches a clear, jelly-like consistency. It is chemically impossible to make soap with only glycerin—it would not have any lathering or cleansing properties.

What is glycerin soap used for? ›

Glycerin is used as a humectant in soap products. In other words, glycerin helps to ensure that your skin will maintain its own moisture in order to protect it from damage caused by dryness. Instead of creating a barrier, humectants such as glycerin still allow your skin to breathe.

How do you extract glycerin from soap? ›

The process of recovering glycerin from evaporations of soap-l ye from Which insoluble fatty acids, chlorids and sulfates have been largely separated, consisting in first diluting the liquid With Water, adding chlorid of barium, then adding mineral acid, separating the precipitates formed, removing the Water and ...

What is 100% glycerin made of? ›

What Is Pure Glycerin? Glycerin is a type of carbohydrate known as a sugar alcohol or a polyol. This odorless liquid has a sweet taste and a syrupy consistency. While glycerin occurs naturally in plants through the fermentation of sugars, most of the glycerin nowadays is produced from the hydrolysis of fats and oils.

What is a good substitute for glycerin? ›

Aloe vera gel has moisturizing and soothing properties, making it a great alternative to glycerin. It also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, making it beneficial for all skin types. Other options include honey, jojoba oil, and vegetable glycerin.

What is the main ingredient in glycerin? ›

Glycerin—also called glycerol and glycerine— is a colorless, odorless, viscous, and hygroscopic liquid that is non-toxic and non-allergenic. It is made of three carbon atoms, eight hydrogen atoms, and three oxygen atoms, giving it the formula of C3H8O3.

What can saponification be used for? ›

Primary use

Soap-making via saponification is the most traditional chemical process using sodium hydroxide. It is also used in the manufacture of biodiesel and in food production. Sodium hydroxide is used most commonly in the home in products that unblock drains, and it is also found in many strong household cleaners.

Is glycerin a byproduct of saponification? ›

The diagram below shows the process from start to finish. You can see on the right hand side, that in addition to soap, glycerin is formed as a by-product of saponification.

How do you know when saponification is complete? ›

This involves touching the soap with your tongue, if it zaps or tingles, it means that there is still some lye (alkali) present and the soap is not yet fully saponified. If it doesn't zap, the saponification process is complete and the soap is safe to use.

How do you make glycerin from scratch? ›

To make the glycerin, mix equal parts coconut oil and olive oil, then add water and lye. Heat the mixture for 10-15 minutes until it reaches 125° F (52° C), add salt, and let it cool. Keep in mind that lye is an extremely caustic substance, though, so it must be handled with care.

How to solidify glycerin? ›

Typically, a controlled amount of lye is added to liquid glycerin/glycerol so that it will harden after heating.

What are the products of glycerol saponification? ›

Answer and Explanation: The products of a saponification reaction are soap and glycerol.

Where does the glycerol go in saponification? ›

Some soap-makers leave the glycerol in the soap. Others precipitate the soap by salting it out with sodium chloride. Skeletal formula of stearin, a triglyceride that is converted by saponification with sodium hydroxide into glycerol and sodium stearate.

How is glycerol prepared by saponification? ›

During saponification, ester reacts with an inorganic base to produce alcohol and soap. Generally, it occurs when triglycerides are reacted with potassium or sodium hydroxide (lye) to produce glycerol and fatty acid salt, called 'soap'.

What is the byproduct of saponification glycerol? ›

Glycerol, also known as glycerine or propane-1,2,3-triol, is a chemical which has a multitude of uses in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. It can be produced as a by-product from saponification and hydrolysis reactions in oleochemical plants as well as transesterification reaction in biodiesel plants [1].

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