Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted. 14th Dec., 1888
I, OTTO HERMANN VON WILKE of 61 Tasanen Strasse Charlottenburg near Berlin
Germany do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Heretofore it has been impossible in anywise to produce soap that would dissolve in
seawater because by the mere saponification of the fat by reason of the various
ingredients in the soap like hydrates of soda or potash or mixtures thereof also in
combination with alkaline silicates the soap (although soluble in fresh water) always
was rendered into insoluble form and hence made unfit for washing and rinsing
purposes by the chlornatrium contained in seawater.
By means of the process now to be described I have succeeded in producing soap
that is soluble in seawater. For this purpose I add to the soap borate of potash or a
mixture of borate of soda and potash compounds the mutual action of same consisting
in that borate of potash is produced.
Experiments have proved that the separation of the soap from its solution does
not follow from the addition of dissolved borate of potash through solutions of
common salt, the strength of which corresponds to or exceeds that of the seawater.
It is only by a saline solution containing about 10 per cent. of chlornatrium that a
weak separation takes place.
Starting from this the soap may suitably be produced by the following proportions
which do not possess the defects of the ordinary soaps but are soluble in seawater.
The following examples will illustrate the nature of the invention.
1. 100 pounds of fat are saponified with 51 of caustic soda Ive of 38° B and after

page_text: In the aforesaid two examples hard soaps are obtained.
For producing soft soap 1 employ instead of the caustic soda lye of 38°. B a similar
caustic potash lye.
In the two first described examples as well as when using the caustic potash lye I
may in the first example add the soda and the borate of potash in solution and in the
second example the potash and the borate of soda in solution direct to the caustic lye
(whether soda or potash lye) necessary for saponification, so that the addition of these
ingredients takes place during the process of saponification.
Soap made as above described behaves in seawater exactly as in fresh water.
The essential feature in the above process for the manufacture of soap soluble in
seawater thus consists of the application of borate of potash or saline mixtures capable
of producing borate of potash.
I, OTTO HERMANN VON WILKE of 61 Tasanen Strasse Charlottenburg near Berlin
Germany do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Heretofore it has been impossible in anywise to produce soap that would dissolve in
sea water because by the mere saponification of the fat by reason of the various
ingredients in the soap like hydrates of soda or potash or mixtures thereof also in
combination with alkaline silicates the soap (although soluble in fresh water) always
was rendered into insoluble form and hence made unfit for washing and rinsing
purposes by the chlornatrium contained in seawater.
By means of the process now to be described I have succeeded in producing soap
that is soluble in sea water. For this purpose I add to the soap borate of potash.
Experiments have proved that the separation of the soap from its solution does not
follow from the addition of dissolved borate of potash through solutions of common

page_text: alt the strength of which corresponds to or exceeds that of the sea water. It is only
y a saline solution containing about 10 per cent. of chlornatrium that a weak separation
akes place.
Starting from this the soap must suitably be produced by the following proportions
which do not possess the defects of the ordinary soaps but are soluble in sea water.
The following example will illustrate the nature of the invention:
100 lbs. of fat are saponified with 51 of caustic soda lye of 38° B and after
aponification 1 add
salt the strength of which corresponds to or exceeds that of the sea water.
It is only
by a saline solution containing about 10 per cent. of chlornatrium that a weak separation
takes place.
Starting from this the soap must suitably be produced by the following proportions
which do not possess the defects of the ordinary soaps but are soluble in sea water.
The following example will illustrate the nature of the invention:
100 lbs. of fat are saponified with 51 of caustic soda lye of 38° B and after
Saponification 1 add
16 of soda and
1 of: borate of potash }
dissolved in 12 of water.
This mixture is then worked up well, put into moulds and left to cool and set.
Hard soap made as above described behaves in sea water exactly as in fresh
water.
The essential feature in the above process for the manufacture of hard soap soluble
in seawater thus consists of the application of borate of potash.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The application of the potash salt of boracic acid to the manufacture of hard
water