Title:

Saponification

Aim:
To produce a sample of soap from vegetable oil using alkaline hydrolysis.

Apparatus:
Petri dishes, beakers, measuring cylinders, Bunsen burners, spatula Reagents: Vegetable oil,
sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride

Diagram:

Method:
a) 5cm3 of oil was measured with a measuring cylinder and placed in a beaker.
b) 20cm3 of sodium hydroxide was measured with a measuring cylinder and added to the oil.
c) The contents of the beaker were heated until the aqueous layer merged with the oil layer.
d) The resulting mixture was allowed to cool and poured into a petri-dish.
e) Sodium chloride was added to the petri-dish and the mixture to was allowed harden.
f) The product was tested for sudding by placing a small amount in a test-tube and adding
tap-water. The test-tube was shook and the formation of suds were observed.

Observations:
 Sodium hydroxide was determined to be basic.
 After the mixture of the sodium hydroxide with the oil, water and salt, the mixture
within the beaker appeared opaque.
 During the heating of the mixture foam appeared.
 After the cooling of the mixture, an obvious layer of suds had appeared.

Discussion questions:
Saponification is the process of making soap by the hydrolysis of fats and oils. Sodium
hydroxide is used in saponification to produce glycerol and a fatty acid salt called “soap”.
The saponification process, also known as saponification mechanism, is a two-step addition-
elimination process that produces carboxylic acids from esters treated with hydroxide ions
under basic conditions.
Step 1:
The hydroxide ion of the chemical salt attacks the ester bond of the fat molecule, forming a
tetrahedral alkoxide intermediate.
Step 2:
The alkoxide (-OR) leaving group is eliminated from the tetrahedral intermediate, forming a
carboxylic acid.
In saponification, sodium chloride is used in the making of soap to provide a balance of
hardness and softness. Soap removes dirt by mixing oil and water. When hard water and soap
are mixed, the magnesium ion reacts with soap molecules and forms a solid material called a
precipitate, which does not dissolve. First, soap lathers better in soft water than in hard water,
so it’s easy to use too much. The more dissolved soap there is, the more dissolved soap there
is, the more water you need to rinse it away. Second, the ions in softened water lessen its
ability to stick to the soap molecules, making it more difficult to rinse the cleanser off your
body.

Precautions:
 Wait an extended period as to not accidently take up the beaker when it is still warm.
 Avoid breathing in the fumes from the soap during production.
 Do not touch the NaOH with your bare hands.
Sources or error/limitation:
 The length of time for the mixture to be heated is objective to sight.
 Quality of the sodium hydroxide used.

Conclusion:
From this experiment, the formation of soaps is due to the hydrolysis of fats or oils with
sodium hydroxide.