Soap

Soap is a salt of an alkali metal, such as sodium or potassium, with a mixture of "fatty" carboxylic acids. It is the result of a chemical reaction, called saponification, between triglycerides and a base such as sodium hydroxide. During this reaction, the triglycerides are broken down into their component fatty acids, and neutralized into salts by the base. In addition to soap, this chemical reaction produces glycerin.

Soap has the general chemical formula RCOOX. The X represents an alkali metal, an element in the first column on the periodic table of elements. The R represents a hydrocarbon chain composed of a line of anywhere from 8-22 carbon atoms bonded together and surrounded by hydrogen atoms. An example of a soap molecule is sodium palmitate (C16).