Supervisor: Jing Dong

Paul Hook

Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Chem 494

Acknowledgements

My supervisor, Jing Dong, for helping me with anything and everything along the way.

John Bloom and Ken Brown in the stockroom for working with me over the last

two semesters.

Making Lotion, Ink, Paint, and Liquid

Spring 2011

LOTION

INK

PAINT

LIQUID CASTILE SOAP

What are lotions?

- Lotions are moisturizers

- Moisturizers consist of 5 main ingredients: water, emollients, humectants,

preservatives, and emulsifying agents

 Results

- Thinner than most commercial lotions

- Milky white color, resembling most commercial lotions.

- Felt thin and oilier than commercial lotions

- pH was basic and it had low conductivity

Suggested Changes/Additions

- Use natural thickening agents to thicken lotion

- Use natural pH adjusters to adjust the lotion to desired pH range

- Use slightly less peanut oil to make it less oily

 Why Liquid Castile Soap was Chosen 

- It can easily be made into a variety of cosmetic and cleaning products

that were produced by Carver

Summary of Procedures

- 2 small bars of soap made from peanut oil were chopped up with a razor

- Soap pieces were dissolved in water with a small amout of glycerin

 Results 

- Thin, congealed film and small flecks floating in the liquid

- The soap was thinner than regular liquid soap

- Shaking of a water/soap mixture produced a large amount of bubbles

Suggested Additions/Changes

- Attempt to make liquid soap from scratch (a time-consuming process)

- Use thickeners in order to make the soap more like commercial soap

- Grate instead of chop to allow for quicker and better dissolution

What is Paint Made of?

- A pigment (Iron oxide)

- A binder (peanut oil)

- A solvent (turpentine)

Summary of Procedures

- Fe2O

3(pigment) added to peanut oil (binder) until

a doughy past formed

- More peanut oil was added until the mixture flowed

- Pure turpentine (solvent) was added to thin

the mixture to the desired thickness

 Results

 Product Role of Peanuts

Lotion

Ink

Paint

Liquid Castile

Soap

- Peanut oil

- Used as the substance that

soothes or softens the skin (emollient)

- Peanut oil

- Origninally used to create the bar soap

that was dissolved to create the liquid soap

- Peanut oil

- Acts as a binder

- Adheres the pigment (iron oxide)

to the suface and holds it there

- Ground up peanuts

- Contain tannins

- Tannins act as pigments

LIQUID CASTILE SOAP

SHAMPOO

BABY SAFE BUBBLE

BATH SOAP

LAUNDRY SOAP

DISHWASHING

DETERGENT

DO NOT TOUCH

Summary of Procedures

- Borax and water were combined and heated to make the aqueous portion

- Peanut oil, castor oil, beeswax, shea butter, and glycerin were combined, stirred,

and heated to make the oil portion

- The aqueous and oil portion were combined

- Grapefruit seed extract was added as a preservative and lavender was added for scent

 2

- Final product was extremely black

- The paint looked dry, but when touched some paint came off 

- The solution had the traditional “paint” smell

Suggested Additions/Changes

- Use a paint primer before painting the wood.

- Use a mixture of oils in the paint because some oils may dry faster than peanut oil

- Use less oil while making the paint.

Why use tannins?

- Tannins are natural pigments

present in peanuts in small amounts

- Tannins naturally produce a brown,

tea-like color

Summary of Procedures

- Peanuts (with skins on) were ground up

- Peanut powder was put in water

and boiled for 30 minutes

- Solution was strained and gum Arabic was added

Suggested Additions/Changes

- Place peanuts in a makeshift teabag to

separate the peanuts from the water

- Use more peanuts or use an organic solvent

- Do more research about tannins and the

amount of tannins in peanuts

 Results

- The water did not turn any color

- Gum Arabic made the water slightly thicker

1 “George Washington Carver: Chemist, Teacher, Symbol.” ACSwebcontent.acs.org . American Chemical Society.

n.d. Web. 10 April 2011. <http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/carver/carver.html>.

2 “How to Use Castile Soap.” Going-well.com. Going-well.com, n.d. Web. 10 April 2011.

<http://going-well.com/2010/07/11/how-to-use-liquid-castile-soap/>.

3 “George Washington Carver.” University of Illinois Press. Web, n.d. 14 April 2011.

<http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/gallery/v8_08.html>.

4 “Basic Structure of a Tannin.” Peter v. Sengbusch - Impressum. Web, 31 July 2003. 14 April 2011.

<http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e26/11.htm>.

“Mr. Peanut.” Web. 15 April 2011. <http://lapoularde.blogspot.com/2011/01/give-it-ride-it.html>.

The Penn State Chemistry department, especially Dr. Joe Keiser,

for providing me with this opportunity.

 PICTURED (RIGHT):

 

The basic structure of a tannin 4

 PICTURED (LEFT):

 Inventor and Scientist 

George Washington Carver  3

REFERENCES

Summary of Experiments

 PICTURED (ABOVE): Liquid castile soap after being shaken with dH  2O

GOAL 

To use peanuts or peanut components to create some of the same products that

George Washington Carver created from the peanut during his career

INTRODUCTION

- George Washington Carver was an African-American agricultural

scientist at the turn of the 20th century

- Wanted to increase the economic viability of peanuts because of their importance in crop

rotation so Southern farmers would be encouraged to plant them1 

- Created over 300 different products from peanuts including milk and

Worcestershire sauce to hand lotions1

Castile Soap Out of Peanuts

Emulating George Washington Carver: