The use of soap-like substances dates back to around 2800 BCE in Ancient Babylon
To provide an extremely brief overview that does not do the saponification process justice: When fats or oils come into contact with an alkali, they are broken down into fatty acids and glycerine, which then combine with the sodium or potassium component of the alkali. Excavations in Ancient Babylon unearthed a soap-like material produced by a process consistent with this, namely boiling fats with ashes, according to accompanying inscriptions. Similarly, the Ebers papyrus, dated 1550 BCE, reveals that Ancient Egyptians washed with a mixture of animal and plant oils and alkaline salt, while the Chinese, during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 700-221 BCE), mixed plant ash with crushed seashells to produce an alkaline chemical used for staining.
Related Facts
Did you Know? A famous 'Pulp Fiction' shot was filmed in reverse.
Custard apple is a powerful antioxidant
Black holes physically draw space around them.
The debate about Afrikaans continues.
Which movie was the First Technicolour Oscar Winner?
Kaleidoscopes Are Not Just a Kids' Toy
There Were 10,297 Balloons in Up
Did you Know? The Professor Does Have a City Name
The population of kangaroos outnumbers humans.
Pariah dogs from India are very adaptive.
Most Hong Kong apartment structures lack the fourth story!
Although you might consider it a vegetable, it's actually a fruit.
Kimchi Is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Fun fact! Suicide is committed by certain cells.
Bhutan does not have traffic lights.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
The world's strongest natural textile, according to legend, is silk.
Because there is no easily accessible insulin resistance test in primary care, we must identify insulin resistance risk factors.
The original Merriam-Webster Dictionary was $6.
Dysania is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning
Pancreatic cell damage is the cause of diabetes.
Sweden's pop music expertise
A Key To Managing ADHD Is To Seek Out Places Where You Thrive
A poet created the Bulgarian flag.
Did you Know? There is a very strange reason why Captain America isn't eating in a post credit scene of The Avengers.