Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

Chapter 15 Baby

Many people may have guessed that what Wei Chen wants to do is a very simple saponification reaction.

Half of the ten time-travel novels in the previous life were made into soaps, which is not surprising at all.

However, soap is not Wei Chen's goal this time.

The reason why we don’t make soap is because people’s cleaning supplies in this era are actually not as scarce as later generations imagined.

Regarding the current situation of Dazhou's cleaning supplies, Wei Chen had already inquired about it at the grocery store in the county town.

The most primitive "washing powder" is plant ash that is available in every household.

The ancients discovered the cleaning effect of plant ash very early. "Book of Rites" records: "If the crown is dirty, mix it with the ashes to clean it; if the clothes are dirty, mix it with the ashes to clean it."

In short, if the clothes are dirty, just add plant ash to the water and the clothes can be washed clean.

However, with the development of the times, this cleaning method has gradually been eliminated. Nowadays, the most widely spread among the people is another purely natural plant detergent - saponin.

Honey locust, also known as honey locust, is the fruit of the honey locust tree. Crush the honey locust and add it to clean water, and it can be used directly to wash clothes.

Honey locust trees are widely distributed in Dazhou and can be seen almost everywhere. There are many honey locust trees growing in Xiyin Village. One tree can pick dozens of kilograms of honey locust trees.

The soap locust is easy to use and has good decontamination ability, but it has a fatal flaw, that is, the smell is too strong, which is not very friendly to the rich and powerful in Zhou Dynasty who pursue fragrance.

The powerful people in the Zhou Dynasty used another more advanced washing product - "Yizi".

The decontamination ability of "Yanzi" far exceeds that of soap locust, and it also has the effect of moisturizing the skin. It also adds various spices to neutralize the peculiar smell of pig pancreas itself, which is also unmatched by the original soap locust.

Wei Chen inquired and found out that Dazhou's "pancake" production technology was very mature.

First, wash the pig pancreas, remove the fat and grind it into powder. Then add sugar, alkali (plant ash or other natural minerals), molten lard, and various spices to make it into the size of a glutinous rice ball. This is "pancreas" of the final product.

Wei Chen was also surprised after knowing the specific production process of "Yizi".

Molten lard and alkali are added to it. Aren't these the two main raw materials for the saponification reaction?

The working people of Dazhou may not know the term saponification reaction, but they have actually used it in production and life!

Moreover, pig pancreas is also rich in enzymes. Under its catalysis, the saponification reaction will occur more fully. The effect of this "pancreas" may be even better than the soap made by Wei Chen using native methods.

After understanding this, Wei Chen finally understood that there was no chance of him making a fortune in Dazhou by making soap.

Comparing price, soap can never be cheaper than soap locust. People just pick it up for free. How can this be compared?

In terms of effectiveness, the soap made by local methods will not be more effective than the current "pancreas" in Da Zhou, unless Wei Chen can engage in industrial production on a large scale, but this is obviously a pipe dream.

However, Wei Chen is also a top student of 985 University. Although he is a liberal arts student, his knowledge is so deep, how could he be defeated by such a small difficulty?

Wei Chen clearly remembered that the saponification reaction

In addition to producing fatty acid salts (the main component of soap), another by-product is also produced.

This thing is more valuable and useful than soap, but it has been ignored intentionally or unintentionally by those time-traveling predecessors.

And Wei Chen's goal is to figure it out.

There is nothing to say about the previous steps, they are exactly the same as making soap.

Wei Chen first asked Zhang Xu to dig a dustpan of plant ashes from under the stove, sieve the plant ashes, add water until the plant ashes were covered with water, boil it, and then let it sit for a while.

When the egg can float after being put in, the time is almost up. At this time, the supernatant in the plant ash water is the lye Wei Chen needs.

This lye is corrosive to a certain extent and can easily burn the skin, so Wei Chen did not let Zhang Xu, a little kid, touch it, but carefully skimmed out the supernatant liquid with his own hands using a porcelain bowl.

Then Wei Chen and Zhang Xu worked together to set up a large pot and put all the lard Wei Chen bought from Youyang into the pot to heat it up.

Finally, pour the lye into the pot bit by bit, stirring continuously for about two or three hours to allow the two to fully react. Next, just wait.

During this time, Wei Chen was not idle either. He went out with little Zhang Xu to pick up a large basin of fine sand and pebbles by the stream. Zhang Xu happily washed the pebbles there, while Wei Chen washed the broken charcoal he brought back.

After washing all these things with clean water several times, Wei Chen found a clean empty jar, made a small hole with an iron awl, and inserted the half-foot-long thin tube into it.

Spread cotton cloth on the bottom of the altar, and put a layer of the finest carbon on the cloth. Then spread a layer of cloth, and put a layer of small pieces of carbon on the cloth.

Then it's cloth - fine sand - cloth - small pebbles - cloth - large pebbles. After five layers of this, a simple filter is completed.

Wei Chen smiled with satisfaction and returned to the kitchen with the filter jar. At this time, the saponification reaction in the pot was almost complete, and the uppermost layer of oily yellow soap had begun to solidify.

Wei Chen quickly skimmed out the pure soap on top with a bowl. After this part solidified, it became soap.

Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi watched Wei Chen busy for a long time, and they had been holding back questions for a long time. When they saw Wei Chen made something, they finally couldn't help but ask: "Brother Chen, What on earth are you tinkering with?"

Wei Chen smiled and pointed at a basin of soft soap: "This is called soap. It can be used for washing and bathing. It is much easier to use than soap locust."

"Is it really that useful?"

Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming were both skeptical.

Zhang Xu was a kid and couldn't bear it any longer. He got up and went to the back room to get the dirty clothes he had changed in the morning. He filled a wooden basin with some water, grabbed a handful of soap and started washing clothes.

Zhang Xu rubbed it gently, and a lot of white bubbles appeared on the side. After rubbing it a few more times, the stains on the clothes disappeared.

Zhang Xu happily picked up the wet clothes and tossed them around. Zhang Ming next to him was also stunned: "This thing is as useful as the soap used by rich families!"

"It just smells like lard!"

Wei Ruyi squatted next to the wooden basin and smelled it, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

Wei Chen coughed awkwardly. The soap made from lard has not been deodorized and will smell of lingering lard.

To mask this smell, a large amount of spices must be added, but in that case, the cost of making soap will also increase a lot. This is one of the reasons why Wei Chen does not make soap.

After making the soap, there is still some turbid soap and the alkaline waste liquid at the bottom in the pot.

In fact, this waste liquid is not waste at all, and there is a treasure that Wei Chen really needs hidden in it.

Wei Chen scooped out the light yellow waste liquid and poured it into the filter jar that had been prepared.

After a while, a trickle of water slowly flowed out from the thin tube at the bottom of the altar. At this time, the waste liquid had become clear and transparent after being filtered.

Wei Chen looked at the clear liquid that was constantly flowing out, as if he saw a golden mountain shining with dazzling golden light, his eyes full of excitement and excitement.

Finally, I made this glycerin!

Next, as long as it undergoes simple distillation and purification, his plan to make a fortune will be completed!

Chapter 16 Gifts

Glycerin, whose scientific name is glycerol, is an extremely important chemical raw material with a wide range of uses covering most chemical fields.

Including food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics manufacturing, industrial machinery lubrication, organic synthesis and so on.

It also has another important use, that is, it is used to make nitroglycerin... This thing is too powerful, and Wei Chen doesn't dare to touch it for the time being.

Glycerin has a wide range of applications, and the most practical and profitable method Wei Chen can think of is to use it as a food additive, or to be precise, a fruit wine additive.

Since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, in order to make up for the shortage of national supplies, the old rules of the previous dynasty were followed, and various wineries were brought under official management, either directly for the official brewing, or contracted out and open to tender.

Not only wine, but also salt and iron were owned by the government. Even tea, alum, and spices had to be handled by the government.

If someone wants to steal food from the government, the worst case may be to stab his wife, or the worst case may be to lose his head.

In the government-operated liquor system, the most strictly controlled aspect is the main raw material for brewing: distiller’s yeast.

Except for the official restaurants registered with the government, which can make their own wine, all other foot shops must go to the main restaurant or the government-run wine shop to purchase the wine koji before selling it.

However, this creates a loophole.

The brewing of grain wine does require koji, but fruit wine does not.Even if koji is not used, wine can still be made through natural fermentation.

In fact, the Zhou Dynasty did not prohibit folk from using fruit to make wine, and there were many private fruit wine workshops in various places.

However, the fruit wine brewed by this method has a very low alcohol content, is bitter and astringent, and is difficult to drink.

Bitterness has even become the label of Dazhou Fruit Wine nowadays.

Because of this, the price of fruit wine is extremely low, and only drinkers who are too poor to afford rice wine will buy it to satisfy their cravings.

However, Wei Chen knew that the reason why fruit wine is bitter is because there is a substance called tannin in the fruit, which cannot be decomposed after fermentation and remains in the wine.

This tannin is the main culprit that causes the bitterness of fruit wine.

The easiest way to remove tannins is to use glycerin.

An important use of glycerol is as a sweetener.Only less than one percent of glycerin is needed to decompose the gannin in the fruit wine, effectively remove the bitterness, and greatly improve the quality and taste of the fruit wine.

Wei Chen believes that after adding glycerin, the bright-looking, sweet and sour fruit wine will become the most popular wine in Dazhou.

……

In the past two days, Wei Chen has been busy with glycerin at home, and occasionally he would read and practice calligraphy when he was free. Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi saw this and were anxious in their hearts.

In their opinion, Wei Chen, as a scholar, studies hard, inherits his father's legacy, and takes scientific exams is the business. He spends all day in the kitchen, making the whole body smell of lard, and there is no trace of it. Looks like a scholar?

They wanted to give Wei Chen a few words of advice, but they didn't know how to say it. After all, Wei Chen was not their biological son, but a benefactor. In addition to loving and caring for Wei Chen, they also had more respect for Wei Chen in their hearts.

Two days passed like this, and the day came when Wei Chen was about to leave to return to Yixue. As they were seeing each other off, Wei Ruyi finally couldn't help it anymore, looking at the glycerin in Wei Chen's hand, and gritted her teeth and said:

"Brother Chen, since you have

When you enter a volunteer school, you should take your academic achievements as your top priority. In the future, you will be named on the gold medal list and your family will shine. As a couple, we have an account of Brother Mingzhao’s spirit in heaven.

But now you... But now, you are focused on those weird and obscene skills. You have been at home for several days without even opening a book. How can this be possible? "

Zhang Ming also advised: "Yes, Brother Chen, studying is the right way. Don't imitate me. If you don't know a single Chinese character, you will have to work hard for others until you die."

When Wei Chen saw Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming's sincere words, he was stunned for a moment, and then he could only smile bitterly.

I try my best to make money, on the one hand so that I can stop worrying about money in the future and focus on the imperial examinations, and on the other hand it is so that the three Zhang family members can live more comfortably without having to worry about life anymore.

Unexpectedly, all their hard work, in the eyes of Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming, turned out to be a failure to do their job properly...

However, if he puts himself in their shoes, Wei Chen can understand Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming.

For Wei Chen, imperial examinations or making inventions to make money are just ways to make life better, and there is no conflict between the two.

But Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming were born and raised in the Zhou Dynasty, and the concept of "everything is low-grade, but only good study" is deeply ingrained in their bones. It is normal for them not to understand what Wei Chen did.

Wei Chen saw the earnest look in Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming's eyes, and could only sigh helplessly in his heart, put on a smile and said:

"Aunt Wei, uncle, you don't know something. This glycerin is a gift from me to Uncle Sheng. He helped me enter a free school. I feel like I can't repay such a great favor, so I can only make this little gadget. Give it to him."

Sheng Wei was very kind to the Zhang family, and Zhang Ming was very grateful to him. When he heard that this was a gift to Sheng Wei, Zhang Ming suddenly realized: "It turns out that Master Sheng wanted it, so it doesn't matter, Chen." Brother, why didn't you tell me earlier? You made your Aunt Wei and I worry for a long time!"