A Lesson before Dying, one of Ernest J. Gaines later works, was written in 1993. Some of his earlier works include A Gathering of Old Men and In My Father's House. The novel covers a time period when blacks were still treated unfairly and looked down upon. Jefferson, a main character, has been wrongly...
Today, soaps are made from fats and oils that react with lye (sodium hydroxide). Solid fats like coconut oil, palm oil, tallow (rendered beef fat), or lard (rendered pork fat), are used to form bars of soap that stay hard and resist dissolving in the water left in the soap dish.
Quick Answer. One original formula for soap is CââHââCOONa, or sodium stearate, which would usually consist of wood ashes and animal fat. The wood ashes were responsible for providing the potassium carbonate and sodium while the animal fat component provides the triglycerides. Continue Reading.