Isomorphic soap has two components. Firstly, a normal soap or detergent cleansing agent blend - like the regular commercial products. Secondly, it contains a blend of reduced azo-group dyes mixed with enzyme molecules. These enzyme molecules are keyed to crack up specific serotype protein combinations found in the sweat of the designated user. When the soap bar is used by someone who's not the deisgnated user, the enzymes are incompatible with the proteins and the azo-dye molecule reacts with the protein and gets oxidised to its coloured form.
I'm not sure how to deal with the small percentage of the population who are non-secretors.
Basically, it's soap that turns black when the someone other than the "owner" uses it......-- 8th of 7, Aug 29 2002 Or just buy the regular stuff http://www.pjstrick...calJokes/PJ-021.jpgand remember not to use it. (They have black too, but the picture's better for this one.) [DrCurry, Aug 29 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004] Hehe. Nice.-- bristolz, Aug 29 2002 Methinks this might be useful for more than just soap. Is sweat really that specific?-- DrCurry, Aug 29 2002 I don't believe a word of it, but it sounds good.-- FarmerJohn, Aug 29 2002 I am being picked on, aren't I?
I pulled my original idea, since so many people hated it. I thought it was a good idea.
My siblings aren't intentionally evil about switching soaps, but they all look the same, anyway, and I'm paranoid about the bacteria-sharing thing.-- BinaryCookies, Aug 29 2002 Yes, but you are being picked on in a very high-minded way, at least.-- bristolz, Aug 29 2002 BinaryCookes: No, you're not being picked on ... and I'm sorry you pulled your original idea, it really wasn't that bad. Certainly not deserving of the [mfd] that someone stuck on it.
DrCurry: I believe it contains the full serotype in about 80% of cases.-- 8th of 7, Aug 30 2002 I put the mfd on it because colored soap is widely available, very common. So, yes, it was deserving of the mfd.-- bristolz, Aug 30 2002 I think I like this idea but, knowing little of the topic, it sounds too good to be true. What if you accidentally knock the other person's soap over and you have to pick it up to rescue it? Then you've got some black soap to explain away... Maybe a link to some counselors who could help any unspecified individuals who might be interested in this product is called for?-- polartomato, Aug 30 2002 8th: you kinda need to explain "serotype" for those of us who flunked Biology.-- DrCurry, Aug 30 2002 I don't know what a serotype is beyond that it is some sort of classification. Serology, though, is the study of the specific makeup of blood. I'll take a guess here that, in this idea, people who are "secreters" pass enough of the serological makeup of their blood (at least enough to identify blood type and maybe other specifics unique enough to be used as a chemical fingerprint) to be detectable in the output from other systems in the body. A secreter's blood type can, for example, be detected in semen and apparently in sweat, saliva and other body fluids and excretions.
Here, 8th of 7 seems to be saying that, if a bar of soap is keyed to some unique sequence of blood characteristics of the primary user, and that user is a secreter, then the soap will not turn black. If the main user or the unauthorized user does not secrete into their endocrinological system, then the soap will always turn black. Fail to black.
Rape victim examinations usually include a serotological analysis of the sperm in order to try and determine what blood type the rapist is. This is only successful if the rapist is a "secreter."-- bristolz, Aug 30 2002 How about self-propigating (some bacterial hybrid, or an alge) soap? It may get overzealously large ( word out of context ) and engulf the sink if you failed to wash your hands often. THEN where would you be??? huh???? So anyway, combine this with the serotype sensitive enzyme and you've got a insecurity fulfilling neverending bar* of soap.
*glob-- greep, Aug 31 2002 The bar would become "soggy" and mushable. Even simpler idea: use bodywash instead.-- greep, Aug 31 2002 random, halfbakery