Saponification

Saponification is the hydrolysis of a fat and a base such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and crude oil. The products of saponification are glycerol and salts of the fatty acids, which are known together as soap. Soap is a long molecule that is nonpolar at one end and ionic at the other end. The nonpolar end can bring other nonpolar substances such as oil, and the ionic end can bring polar solvents such as water. Therefore, soap can cause emulsion of oil and water. This quality is called detergency.

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Category:Organic reactions