Andy Dingley wrote:
On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 16:15:11 GMT, Stuart Noble
wrote:


Only things containing fatty acids can be saponified i.e. not petroleum
based substances.


You can make fatty acids from petroleum products too.

Can you? Not being sarcastic, but I'd like to know how.

"Fat" is a valid
chemical term, not necessarily implying animal origin.

Can be vegetable, but I don't see how it could be of mineral origin.

The family business used to be haulage. We moved tons of "tall oil fatty
acid" (looked like paraffin wax crumbs) from Stanlow when I was a kid.
The name always made me laugh.

That's vegetable based though.