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Neutralizing LABS
Hi everyone! I’ve been doing research on the difference of concentrated LABS vs Neutralized Labs. I only see in my search the main reason of doing this is to take out the acidity of LABS to bring it to a more alkaline level.
But other than that, is there any other reason why neutralizing is necessary? Does it react with other chemicals differently when neutralized?
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4 Replies
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Think of neutralizing that acid as a « saponification ».
Like stearic acid with NaOH. You could technically get stearic acid to dissociate, but it will only be a small amount. If you saponify it, it will dissociate at 100%, and will have completely different properties.I am guessing it’s the same with LABSA. It completely changes it’s properties. After neutralization, it will be 100% ionized (as an anionic surfactant) in water. As an acid, depending on the pH of the formulation, only a percentage will be in its ionic form. It will also behave differently on the skin, likely will be more irritating as an acid (pH 2-4), and will be more reactive.
But all in all, neutralizing it is not just for the pH, it’s a chemical reaction and it will change it’s behavior. -
Hi Letsalcido. Thank you for this. It helps a lot.
Just a bit of background, I’m into the DIY hobby of making my own household cleaning solutions. Dishwashing and liquid detergent to be specific. It now makes sense why the neutralization is required.
I did try it twice but I’m getting that white pasty solution after adding NaOH. Will experiment further.
Thanks again!
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Add Water to caustic soda , Add Water to labsa before combining the 2
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Yup that’s what I did.
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