Behind the scenes of magic!
Although to kids the reactions that takes place when the soap bomb is dumped in the bath tub is just magic but parents who know better must wonder what causes the fizzing and the foam to form and what kind of reaction takes place for this to occur.
Firstly the fizz that is created when the bath bomb and the water make contact is in fact a very simple process. The fizzing is actually in fact the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, the release of the salt of the acid which occurs when the citric acid neutralizes the carbonate salt, sodium bicarbonate, and the release of water in gaseous form. Although its the carbon dioxide that plays the larger role in the fizzing of the soap bomb.
For this reaction to occur many essential roles must be taken up by the reactants for the reaction to occur. Firstly water must be present as a initiator of the the reaction. With the water in play the acid and the carbonate can dissociate although without the present of water dissociation does not occur and the reaction fails to take place. Although once the reaction has been initiated more water is generated by the reaction meaning that the effervescent products must be produced, formulated and packaged properly to prevent unwanted product reacting due to a unstable environment.
The second chemical reaction that takes place is called saponification.
Similar to how esters are hydrolyzed into their component alcohols and acids through a process of reverse esterification, in saponification a triglyceride( the olive oil in this case) can be split to produce glycerol and a sodium salt(the baking soda in this case) of the fatty acid when sodium hydroxide is added to the triglyceride. The resulting sodium salt is often called soap. In a nutshell the process of making the soap occurs by heating fats and oils with a strong base creating soap as a by product therefore giving the reaction the name saponification.
Firstly the fizz that is created when the bath bomb and the water make contact is in fact a very simple process. The fizzing is actually in fact the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, the release of the salt of the acid which occurs when the citric acid neutralizes the carbonate salt, sodium bicarbonate, and the release of water in gaseous form. Although its the carbon dioxide that plays the larger role in the fizzing of the soap bomb.
For this reaction to occur many essential roles must be taken up by the reactants for the reaction to occur. Firstly water must be present as a initiator of the the reaction. With the water in play the acid and the carbonate can dissociate although without the present of water dissociation does not occur and the reaction fails to take place. Although once the reaction has been initiated more water is generated by the reaction meaning that the effervescent products must be produced, formulated and packaged properly to prevent unwanted product reacting due to a unstable environment.
The second chemical reaction that takes place is called saponification.
Similar to how esters are hydrolyzed into their component alcohols and acids through a process of reverse esterification, in saponification a triglyceride( the olive oil in this case) can be split to produce glycerol and a sodium salt(the baking soda in this case) of the fatty acid when sodium hydroxide is added to the triglyceride. The resulting sodium salt is often called soap. In a nutshell the process of making the soap occurs by heating fats and oils with a strong base creating soap as a by product therefore giving the reaction the name saponification.
Safety First!
Although bath bombs are generally safe, when dealing with chemicals everyone's skin reacts different with it. For sensitive skin users be sure to moisturise after use daily, and if irritation itching or rashes occur on skin contact your doctor immediately. In case contact comes with eyes rinse out your eyes and if your eyes continue to burn see a doctor immediately.
Product Testing
The lemony fresh bath bomb product has been tested for safety and for preferred performance. As the testing occurred the reaction displayed both the gaseous and saponification reaction as you can witness from the link above. Seconds after the bath bomb made contact with the warm water the gas reaction was initiated and fizzing occurred as the citric acid reacted with the sodium bicarbonate releasing carbon dioxide gas causing the display of bubbles. The saponification reaction was also observed as the olive oil reacted with the sodium bicarbonate causing the water to become slight foggy and slippery with soap.