Who first invented soap?
Ancient Mesopotamians were the first to produce a kind of soap by cooking fatty acids – like the fat rendered from a slaughtered cow, sheep or goat – together with water and alkaline like lye, a caustic substance derived from wood ashes.
What Are the main ingredients in soap?
The main ingredient in soap is a fat or oil that undergoes a chemical reaction known as saponification when combined with an alkali, typically sodium hydroxide (lye). This process transforms the fat or oil into soap and glycerin, resulting in a substance capable of cleaning and emulsifying oils and dirt from the skin. Common fats and oils used in soap making include olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and animal fats like tallow or lard.
How Does Soap Work?
Soap can clean hands and dishes because of some pretty nifty chemistry. Soap molecules have on one end what's known as a polar salt, which is hydrophilic, or attracted to water. The other end of the molecule is a nonpolar chain of fatty acids or hydrocarbons, which is hydrophobic-meaning that it's repelled by water but attracted to grease and other oily substances. When you wash your hands, the soap forms something like a molecular bridge between the water and the dirty, germ-laden oils on your hands, attaching to both the oils and the water and lifting the grime off and away. Soaps can also link up with the fatty membranes on the outside of bacteria and certain viruses, lifting the infectious agents off and even breaking them apart. Once the oily dirt and germs are off your hands, the soap molecules thoroughly surround them and form tiny clusters, known as micelles, that keep them from attaching to anything else while they wash down the drain.
What does soap taste like
Soap has a very bitter and unpleasant taste. This taste comes from the alkaline ingredients used in its production, such as sodium hydroxide (lye). Consuming soap can irritate the mouth and throat, and in larger amounts, it can lead to nausea, vomiting, and other digestive discomforts. It's not something meant to be ingested.
What can cause someone to want to eat soap?
The causes of coprophagia can vary.
Nutritional deficiencies, such as a lack of iron or zinc in your diet can cause pica.
It's also more common during pregnancy, perhaps because of your body's rapidly shifting nutritional needs if you're pregnant.
In older adults, conditions like Alzheimer's and dementia can lead to the desire to eat soap. A 2019 case study by Trusted Source showed that a high percentage of older adults who eat soap may do so as a symptom of dementia.
Some people want to eat soap because it's a learned behavior demonstrated in their family or cultural setting.
what happens if someone eats soap?
If someone eats soap, several things can happen depending on the amount consumed and the ingredients in the soap:
Mouth and Throat Irritation: Soap has a very alkaline pH, which can cause a burning sensation, irritation, or even minor chemical burns in the mouth, throat, and esophagus.
Nausea and Vomiting: The body typically reacts to soap ingestion with nausea and vomiting as it tries to expel the irritating substance.
Diarrhea and Stomach Pain: Soap can act as a laxative, leading to diarrhea, stomach cramps, and discomfort.
Aspiration Risk: If the soap is vomited up and accidentally inhaled into the lungs, it can cause aspiration pneumonia, a serious condition requiring medical attention.
Toxicity: While most soaps are not highly toxic, consuming large amounts or soaps containing certain chemicals (like detergents or antibacterial agents) can lead to more severe symptoms, including poisoning.
