Lye

Lye is a strongly alkaline substance, usually sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. It is used in soapmaking, cleaning, and some food preparation.

Sodium hydroxide: Sodium hydroxide is a caustic inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is the most common meaning of lye in soapmaking and drain cleaners.
Soap: Soap is a cleansing substance made from fatty-acid salts or synthetic surfactants. Lye converts fats into the fatty-acid salts that form traditional soap.
Alkali: An alkali is a water-soluble base that produces hydroxide ions in solution. Lye is a common example of a strong, caustic alkali.
Ammonia: Ammonia is a nitrogen-hydrogen compound, NH₃, used in cleaners and chemical manufacturing. It is an alkaline cleaner, but unlike lye it is not a hydroxide salt.
Potassium hydroxide: Potassium hydroxide is a caustic inorganic compound with the formula KOH. It is the other principal lye, often used to make softer or liquid soaps.
Drain cleaner: A drain cleaner is a product formulated to clear blockages in plumbing. Sodium hydroxide drain cleaners break down grease and other organic material.
pH: pH is a logarithmic measure of hydrogen-ion activity in a solution. A high pH describes the strongly alkaline solutions lye forms in water.
Sodium carbonate: Sodium carbonate is an alkaline sodium salt with formula Na₂CO₃, also called washing soda. It is a weaker alkali often used where lye’s causticity is unnecessary.
Saponification: Saponification is the alkaline hydrolysis of fats or oils into glycerol and fatty-acid salts. This reaction is the chemical basis of lye soapmaking.
Pretzel: A pretzel is a baked bread product distinguished by its twisted shape and browned crust. A brief alkaline bath, often using food-grade lye, helps create its dark, blistered crust.

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