Sodium carbonate, a type of soap, is simple salt made up of carbonic acid and sodium. It's more commonly known as washing soda or soda ash, and you can often purchase it at a hardware store. Although it's affordable, there may be times when you prefer to make your own soap.
Things You'll Need
Water
Sodium hydroxide
Glass container with a lid
Baking soda
Heat source
Step 1
Place 1 liter (about 1 quart) of water into the jar.
Step 2
Slowly add 40 grams of sodium hydroxide to the water. The sodium hydroxide dissolves, heating up the water. Be careful, sodium hydroxide is caustic and can cause chemical burns to the skin, especially when mixed with water.
Step 3
Once the sodium hydroxide dissolves, slowly add 84 grams of baking soda. This makes the water cloudly; the baking soda slowly dissolves in the aqueous sodium hydroxide.
Step 4
Once everything dissolves, heat the solution until it's lightly boiling. Do this outside, preferably on a fish boiler or similar heat source. Boil off all the water.
Step 5
Collect the solid residue, which is sodium carbonate soap.
Tip
You can substitute 1M (molarity) or 1N (normality) sodium hydroxide solution for sodium hydroxide pellets. Use 1 liter of either in place of the sodium hydroxide and water.
Warning
Sodium hydroxide is caustic and can cause burns to the skin. This threat intensifies when it's wet or dissolved in water.