Question

Explain saponification of oils/ fats with equation.

Answer 1

Hint: We all use soaps. We know that soaps are an important part to maintain good health and hygiene of the individuals. We use soaps to cleanse dirt and oil off the objects including skin surface. We use soaps in bathing, cleaning, washing and in other household chores.

Complete step by step answer:
> So, first of all we should understand what saponification is. In common terms we can say that the process by which we make soap is called saponification. This is the definition in common language. We know that soap is now an essential everyday item and finds its importance in everyday life. We use soaps from cleaning ourselves to cleaning everything around us.
> So, from the above paragraph we know that saponification is simply the process of making soaps. We should note that soaps are just potassium or sodium salts of long-chain fatty acids. During saponification, ester reacts with an inorganic base to produce alcohol and soap.
> The ester reacts with NaOH or KOH to give alcohol and sodium or potassium salt of the acid. This reaction of ester with NaOH and KOH to produce alcohol and sodium or potassium salt of the acid is the hydrolysis of ester.
\[Ester\text{ }+\text{ }Base\to \text{ }Alcohol\text{ }+\text{ }Soap\]
> We can also make soap with the reaction of fatty acids with base. In this case, the reaction involves neutralization of the carboxylic acid. We use this neutralization method to produce industrial soaps such as those derived from magnesium, the transition metals, and aluminium. We use a single fatty acid for the production of soap and this kind of soap has predictable physical properties.

Note:If you ever get the opportunity to visit an exhibition of old oil painting, you will observe the damage on it. Saponification can occur in oil paintings over time, causing visible damage and deformation. The oil paints that we use in painting are composed of pigment molecules suspended in an oil binding medium. We use heavy metals for imparting colour pigments and if these heavy metals react with free fatty acids in the oil medium, metal soaps may form in a paint layer that can then migrate outward to the painting's surface.