wiz-icon
MyQuestionIcon
MyQuestionIcon
1
You visited us 1 times! Enjoying our articles? Unlock Full Access!
Question

What is saponification? Write the reaction involved in this process.


Open in App
Solution

Saponification

  • Saponification is the simplest method used for the preparation of soap.
  • Esters of fatty acids are hydrolyzed in the presence of a base like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, to give alcohol and potassium or sodium salts of the corresponding acids which are referred to as soaps.
  • This kind of reaction is known as saponification.

Reaction

  • The general reaction is as follows,

Ester+BaseSoap+Alcohol

For example,

  • The formation of sodium stearate is depicted below.

flag
Suggest Corrections
thumbs-up
64
similar_icon
Similar questions
View More
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
similar_icon
Related Videos
thumbnail
lock
Cleansing Agents
CHEMISTRY
Watch in App
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
CrossIcon