Preparation of Soap Using Different Types of Oils and Exploring its Properties

Soaps are the sodium salts or potassium salts of stearic acids or any other fatty acids. They are prepared by the saponification process, which is, reacting the oil which contain triglycerides with caustic soda (NaOH) to give the soap. However different oils have different composition of fatty acids which are responsible for different properties of soaps made out of them. In the present work 5 different types of oils are taken. They are blended in various ratios to prepare 14 different samples of soap. Different properties of these samples were analyzed to see which soap is the best one. The cleansing and lathering properties of all samples were compared. The blend of coconut oil and castor oil at 3:1 ratio is found out to be the best with 76.8% of TFM and 89.46% of yield. The best blend is analyzed for various properties and they were compared with that given in the literature. The saponification values, iodine values of coconut oil and castor oil were found out and these values were also found for the blend. It was found that the blend was having SAP value of 230.4 and iodine value of 40 which are higher than the individual values. Thus soap prepared using blend of both these oils has better properties than the soaps prepared by individual oils

Government finances and economic growth: a policy perspective on the developing economy of Sri Lanka

In this paper, we analyse the fiscal policy orientation of the developing economy of Sri Lanka in the context of the growth performance of the economy during the period 1975-2000, using an integrated input-output and macroeconometric model. The paper draws upon the Government’s policy approach towards faster economic growth. The empirical findings show that the Government’s budget deficits are not primarily the result of an excess of consumption over revenue. Rather, other current expenses, such as Government transfers and interest payments, have been the main cause of the country’s mounting public debt. The proportion of Government investment in total Government outlays has declined over time. This could be a major obstacle to economic growth. At the same time, the Government’s recurring budget deficits have led to an escalating national debt, and the monetization of deficits has created inflationary pressures. In order to arrest these trends and encourage economic growth, reducing the current deficits in the Government budgets is imperative. Domestic private investment, foreign direct investment and Government investment have to be combined as complementary forces to ensure rapid economic growth in the country.

Minimum Magnetizability Principle

A new electronic structure principle, viz. the minimum magnetizability principle (MMP) has been proposed and also has been verified through ab initio calculations, to extend the domain of applicability of the conceptual density functional theory (DFT) in explaining the magnetic interactions and magnetochemistry. This principle may be stated as, "A stable configuration/conformation of a molecule or a favorable chemical process is associated with a minimum value of the magnetizability". It has also been shown that a soft molecule is easily polarizable and magnetizable than a hard one.Comment: 2 Pages, 3 Figure

Effect of Holding time on Binder Burnout, Density and Strength of Green and Sintered Alumina Samples

The present work deals with the effect of holding time on the binder burnout, bulk density and strength of the sintered alumina bodies. Binders provide better green strength to the ceramic bodies and their efficient removal from the system during sintering plays a crucial role in bulk density and strength of sintered bodies. The sintered bodies in this project were alumina samples which were prepared by dry pressing of granules. These granules were prepared by mixing reactive alumina (-75 micron) with binders solution of 3 and 4 weight percent. The thermal decomposition characteristics of the binders namely (Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA), Dextrin and starch) was carried out. On the basis of these studies, the binder burnout temperature was found to be 450 0C.Accordingly during sintering of the pellets a hold time was given at 450 0C. In order to see the effect of holding time on binder removal rate, the holding time was varied between- no holding (0 minute), 30 minute holding time, 60 minutes holding time. The samples were sintered at 1600 0C for one hour and the sintered samples were characterized for bulk density, apparent porosity, compressive strength and shrinkage. It was observed that Starch (3 %) added samples showed highest compressive strength and also had a high bulk density. It was observed that effective binder burnout could enhance strength of sintered bodies and incomplete removal may lead to defects like cracking, black coring, bloating and formation of closed pores which adversely affect the properties of the sintered bodies