In the past 20 years a cottage industry has grown around the production of soap on a relatively small scale. Only a minimal physical plant is needed to produce custom-formulated soaps on a scale from 10-100 lbs per batch. This cottage industry is made up primarily of women producing soap and selling it at craft fairs, boutiques, on the internet, and to hotels desiring private-label soap. The science of soapmaking touches on many chemical topics, including stoichiometry, equilibrium, and the properties of acids, bases, alcohols, esters, and oils. This workshop would be appropriate for high school and college faculty desiring to teach a course for students interested in handcrafted soap as a business or hobby. It would also be appropriate for faculty wanting to include a soapmaking module as part of another course. Workshop fee includes a copy of the book, Scientific Soapmaking.
