Lye

Lye is the common name of various alkaline solutions, including soda lye (a solution of sodium hydroxide) and potash lye (also known simply as potash, a solution of potassium hydroxide). Lyes are used as cleaning products, as ingredients in soapmaking, and in various other contexts.

Lye is the common name of various alkaline solutions, including soda lye (a solution of sodium hydroxide) and potash lye (also known simply as potash, a solution of potassium hydroxide). Lyes are used as cleaning products, as ingredients in soapmaking, and in various other contexts. ==History== The word derives from the root *lau, meaning to wash (compare , ) and has cognates in all the Germanic languages. Traditionally, lye was made by leaching of wood ashes in water, creating an alkaline liquor rich in potassium carbonate. The alkalinity could be increased by the addition of slaked lime, which would cause the solute to become potassium hydroxide or caustic potash. Indigenous peoples of the Americas used lye in food processing and in the consumption of certain plant products. In particular, lye was employed in nixtamalization, the treatment of maize with an alkaline solution that improves processing characteristics and increases nutrient bioavailability. Depending on local resources, lye was produced from wood ashes, which yield potash-rich alkaline solutions, or from lime produced by calcining limestone or marine shells and subsequently slaking the resulting quicklime. In some regions, mixtures of ash and lime were also used for maize processing. In the Andes, alkaline materials such as plant ashes, lime derived from burned shells or limestone, or mixtures of ash and lime (called llipta in Peru) were also consumed since prehistoric times together with coca leaves. The alkali raises oral pH and enhances the release and absorption of coca alkaloids through the oral mucosa.

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