Question

Bath soap is a mixture of _________.

Options

• potassium salts of higher fatty acids.

• sodium and calcium salts of higher fatty acids.

• potassium palmitate and sodium stearate.

• sodium salts of higher fatty acids.

Answer 1

Bath soap is a mixture of sodium salts of higher fatty acids.

Explanation:

Bath soap (toilet/bathing soap) is produced by the saponification of fats and oils with NaOH (sodium hydroxide). This reaction produces sodium salts of long-chain (higher) fatty acids such as:

• Sodium Stearate (C₁₇H₃₅COONa), from stearic acid
• Sodium Palmitate (C₁₅H₃₁COONa), from palmitic acid

These are hard, solid soaps used for bathing.