Chemical Engineering Laboratory-1 

 
(CHE F312) 
 
Lab Report 
 
Engineering Chemistry Lab 
 
E-6 
 
Saponification

Group 14
Vedant Desai
Pratyush Srivastava
Hritik Vinayak Lal
Apoorv Kaushik
Index Page

Exp.No Name of the Date of Date of Instructor’s Marks

Experiment Conducti Submission Sign
on

E2 Surface Tension 15/09/20 20/09/20

E3 Colligative 17/09/20 22/09/20

Properties

E4 Titrations 22/09/20 24/09/20

E5 Organic Synthesis 24/09/20 29/09/20

E6 Saponification 29/09/20 1/10/20

E1 Thin Layer
Chromatography
OBJECTIVE:

To prepare soap by saponification reaction and understand the reaction and different
variations of the saponification.

THEORY:

Soaps or detergents are very important to both public and personal health. ​Soaps
are salts of fatty acids and fatty acids are carboxylic that have a long carbon chain
(at least 10) e.g. ​sodium palmitate​.

Fats and oils are essentially molecules called triglycerides, which are esters made
up of three fatty acids connected to a glycerol molecule, hence the name
“Triglycerides”.

Examples of Triglyceride :

Soap, from a chemical composition, is a salt (or a mixture of salts) of fatty acids. As
a general case with all the salts, soap consists of a positive ion, usually Na​+ or K​+​,
and a negative ion which is usually the anions of long-chained carboxylic acids
obtained by the hydrolysis of animal or vegetable fats.

Most common fatty acids in this case have 14,16 or 18 carbon atoms in the chain.
These chains have even carbon atoms because they are all polymerized from a
starting point of a 2-carbon atom acetate unit which when polymerized
recursively,results in fatty acid chains having only an even number of carbon atoms.

The structure of these fatty acids play a huge role in determining the physical
properties of the soap.
The presence of unsaturation(double/triple bonds) in a soap molecule tends to lower
its melting point and hence at room temperature these soaps tend to be in liquid
form.

Both vegetable and animal fats contain saturated and unsaturated chains, hence for
comparing these one has to see the relative content of double bonds in these.

Vegetable fats have relatively more number of unsaturated bonds and hence, as
observed, are liquid at room temperature. Hence, vegetable fats are more commonly
referred to as vegetable oils whereas animal fats are referred to as the same.

In the experiment which we performed, a Triglyceride was reacted with aqueous

alkali and the reaction formed a soap molecule(in this case sodium stearate), along
with an alcohol byproduct i.e Glycerol.

Saponification Reaction
APPARATUS REQUIRED :

Short neck round-bottomed flask (250 ml), Condenser, Filter Paper, Funnel, Test
Tube

CHEMICALS REQUIRED :

Triglyceride(Oil),Ethanol (C2H5OH),Sodium Hydroxide(NaOH),Sodium

Chloride(NaCl),Water(H2O)

OBSERVATION:

1.When the water condenser was placed on the flask and a slow flow of water was
passed through the condenser some of the soap got precipitated at the end of the
reaction

2.When the reaction mixture was transferred to the flask containing the aqueous
solution of sodium chloride some amount of precipitated soap which was
yellowish-white in colour was observed on the bottom of the filter paper placed on
the funnel

3.When a small amount of soap was added to the reaction tube,formation of bubbles
was observed which proved the presence of sodium stearate as the main product.
DISCUSSION:-

PRATYUSH :

● Soaps are carboxylate salts of very long hydrocarbon chain.The number of

atoms in these hydrocarbon chains varies from 4 to 36 carbon atoms.
● Soaps are made from a ​saponification reaction ,which is essentially basic
hydrolysis of esters.
● The positive ions in soaps are mostly ​Na​+ ​and K​+ ​and anion is of long chained
carboxylic acid
● Soaps can be either ​hard or soft​, if the hydrolysis is done with KOH ,the soap
we get is soft while NaOH is used for hydrolysis soap is hard .Soft soaps are
used for cleansing purposes while hard ones are used in laundry .
● Furthermore soaps can be of various ​types like medicinal , lubricating
,transparent etc depending upon the fat/oil used
● Cleansing action : soaps contain hydrophilic polar head ( Na​+ ​or K​+​) which
joins itself with water molecules as per like attracts like theory , while the
hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain attaches itself to the dirt or grease on cloth ,
leading to ​micelles ​formation as shown below

● Although in the reaction there is no ethanol but we use ethanol in this

experiment because ​ethano​l becomes the medium in which oil or fat can
dissolve itself in order to react with base .Due to this reason we reflux ethanol
as we want it to be present in our mixture for a better yield.
● Also ​sodium chloride is added to get more precipitate ,as ​the sodium ions
from the sodium chloride bond with the fatty acid, forming a product that is
less soluble in water. Because of this reduced solubility, the soap leaves the
solution and forms a solid mass.This is called salting out of soap .
● Applications ​of saponification reaction :
 1.Lithium soaps are used for lubrication purpose
2.Manufacturing of glycerol
​3.Bathing and Laundry purpose
4.Wet fire extinguishers

VEDANT:

● Soaps are basically carboxylate salts of fatty acids. A carboxylic acid with a
hydrocarbon chain containing 4 to 36 carbons can be called fatty acid.
Triglycerides are the most basic form of fats where 3 fatty acids are combined
with glycerol in an esterification reaction.
● The two types of fats can be physically distinguished by their difference in
melting point. Saturated fats do not have any double bonds in their
hydrocarbon chain and therefore pack more densely resulting in higher
melting point than unsaturated fatty acids.
● Simplest saturated fatty acid is Butyric Acid (4 carbon found in butter) and
simplest unsaturated fatty acid is Crotonic acid ( 4 carbon in croton oil).
● Saponification reaction in chemical reaction term is a basic hydrolysis of an
ester to form carboxylate salt and alcohol. The Fatty acid salt is produced due
to the presence of strong bases like KOH or NaOH. In this experiment we
produce Sodium Stearate( ​C​17​H​35​COONa​) which is most commonly used
soap having multiple applications. It is important to note that ​each molecule
of triglyceride will ​produce 3 molecules of soap and ​1 molecule of
glycerol. Paraffin wax is the only fat which does not form soap having a
saponification value of 100.
● Soap molecules have a Hydrophobic long hydrocarbon tail and a hydrophilic
carboxyl head. The cleansing action of soap is based on this amphiphilic
property. Above particular concentration of soap called ​Critical Micelle
Concentration ​at which the soap molecule forms a spherical ball. The
hydrophobic tail gather radially inside and hydrophilic heads face radially
outward The hydrophobic tails inside attract the dirt, grease which are not
miscible in polar water and can be removed easily as micelles are easy to
move in water.
 ● Soaps have a wide range of use. ​Hard Soaps are salts of sodium ( they are
used in laundry) and ​Soft Soaps are salts of potassium( used in personal
hygiene). We can modify the reaction slightly to alter some properties like
dissolving in ethanol to make it transparent or adding small bubbles to make it
float.
● Ethanol acts as an emulsifying agent between water( containing NaOH) and
oils( immiscible in water). Therefore it is necessary to condense the
evaporated ethanol back to reaction to get good yield. If all ethanol
evaporates, the saponification stops.
● Salting is done to precipitate the soap dissolved in the reaction mixture after
saponification. The reason is to shift the equilibrium of dissolved salt back
towards precipitation.
e.g ​Na(stearic acid) <===> Na+ + stearate- (in solution). 

Sodium stearate dissolves in water but when excess sodium chloride is added
the excess sodium makes it shift and the excess concentration also competes
with soap to stay dissolved as water can only hold a limited amount of solute.
The less preferred sodium stearate precipitates out.
● Most recent applications of saponification reaction are in Wet-Fire
extinguishers which convert the flammable oils into its inflammable
carboxylate salts and also absorbing the heat as it is an endothermic reaction.

HRITIK:

1. Soaps are an integral part to maintain good health and hygiene of the
individuals. Soaps are essential to cleanse dirt and oil off the objects including
skin surface. Soaps are widely used in bathing, cleaning, washing and in
other household chores.
2. Saponification is the ​hydrolysis of an ester with ​NaOH or KOH to give
alcohol and sodium or potassium salt of the acid.The main product of this
reaction is Sodium stearate (soap) and the by-product is Glycerol. The
reaction occurs by the breakage of the ester linkage in the triglycerides by the
nucleophilic attack of the base on the triglyceride which results in the
formation of carboxylate salt of long chain fatty acid i.e soap and an alcohol
like glycerol.
3. Reaction Mechanism : The Lone pair on Base Oxygen does a nucleophilic
attack on the carbon atom of the carbonyl group. At this point the oxygen
atom with which the carbonyl carbon has a pi-bond with, takes up the
electrons and hence becomes negative with an extra lone-pair of electrons
while the O-CH2 group leaves. In the case of triglyceride this process
happens three times resulting in a soap molecule and glycerol.
4. Cleansing Action Of Soap
 Soap is known for its cleansing properties because it can work as an
emulsifier. An emulsifier helps in mixing of two or more liquids that under
normal conditions, are immiscible. For example, naturally, oil cannot be mixed
with water, but soap can mix oil or dirt in the water, and thus it can be
removed from our hands or clothes or other surfaces. A Soap molecule is
made up of two parts- A long Hydrophobic Non-Polar (Repellent to water)
chain and a Hydrophilic Polar (Attracted to Water) end which is either Na+ /K+
ionic group. Hence when a soap molecule interacts with dirt/grease , the
hydrophobic end comes in contact with grease/dirt molecules whereas the
hydrophilic end comes in contact with water molecules.

5. Types of soaps

Depending upon the nature of alkali used in the production of soap, they are
classified into two types.

● Hard soap
● Soft soap
The sodium salt of long chain fatty acid is known as hard soap.It is difficult to
dissolve in water. It is used as laundry soap.
The potassium salt of long chain fatty acid is known as soft soap, as it produces
more lather. It is used as toilet soap and shaving soap.
In aqueous solution, soap ionises to form alkali ions.
6. Applications of Saponification

Soft versus hard soap

Depending on the nature of the alkali used in their production, soaps have distinct
properties. ​Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) gives "hard soap"; hard soaps can also be
used in water containing Mg, Cl, and Ca salts. By contrast, ​potassium soaps,
(derived using ​KOH​) are soft soap. The fatty acid source also affects the soap's
melting point. Most early hard soaps were manufactured using animal fats and KOH
extracted from wood ash; these were broadly solid. However, the majority of modern
soaps are manufactured from polyunsaturated triglycerides such as vegetable oils.
As in the triglycerides they are formed from ​the salts of these acids have weaker
intermolecular forces and thus lower melting points.

Lithium soaps
Lithium derivatives of ​12-hydroxystearate and other fatty acids are important
constituents of lubricating greases. In ​lithium-based greases​, lithium ​carboxylates
are thickeners. "Complex soaps" are also common, these being combinations of
more than one acid salt, such as azelaic or acetic acid.

Fire extinguishers
Fires involving ​cooking fats and oils (classified as ​class K (US) or F
(Australia/Europe/Asia)​) burn hotter than most flammable liquids, rendering a
standard ​class B extinguisher ineffective. Such fires should be extinguished with a
wet chemical extinguisher​. Extinguishers of this type are designed to extinguish
cooking fats and oils through saponification. The extinguishing agent rapidly converts
the burning substance to a non-combustible soap. This process is ​endothermic​,
meaning that it absorbs ​thermal energy from its surroundings, which decreases the
temperature of the surroundings, further inhibiting the fire.

7. Difference between Soaps and Detergents:

● A soap is a sodium or potassium salt of long chain fatty acids whereas a detergent
is a sodium salt of alkyl benzene sulphonate or a fatty alcohol sulphate.
● Soaps have comparatively weak cleansing action whereas detergents have a
strong cleansing action.
●Soaps being triglyceride derivatives are naturally synthesised(thus are
biodegradable) whereas detergents are often produced synthetically(thus are
non-biodegradable in nature).

APOORV:

Saponification is a process by which triglycerides are reacted with sodium or

potassium hydroxide (lye) to produce glycerol and a fatty acid salt called "soap." The
triglycerides are most often animal fats or vegetable oils. Triglycerides are triesters
consisting of glycerol bound to three fatty acid molecules. The mechanism of
saponification is:
1. Nucleophilic attack by the hydroxide
2. Leaving group removal
3. Deprotonation
The chemical reaction between any fat and sodium hydroxide is a saponification
reaction.
Soap is a natural surfactant. A surfactant is any substance that tends to reduce the
surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved. The soap molecule has two
different ends, one that is hydrophilic (polar head) that binds with water and the other
that is hydrophobic (non-polar hydrocarbon tail) that binds with grease and oil. When
greasy dirt or oil is mixed with soapy water, the soap molecules arrange themselves
into tiny clusters called micelles. The water-loving (hydrophilic) part of the soap
molecules sticks to the water and points outwards, forming the outer surface of the
micelle. The oil-loving (hydrophobic) parts stick to the oil and trap oil in the center
where it can't come into contact with the water. With the oil tucked safely in the
center, the micelle is soluble in water. As the soapy water is rinsed away the greasy
dirt goes along with it.
The saponification reaction may be tailored to produce different types of
soaps:

1. Hard Soap: Hard soap is made using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or lye. Hard
soaps are especially good cleansers in hard water that contains magnesium,
chloride, and calcium ions.
2. Soft Soap: Softsoap is made using potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than
sodium hydroxide. In addition to being softer, this type of soap has a lower
melting point. Most early soaps were made using potassium hydroxide
obtained from wood ash and animal fats. Modern soft soaps are made using
vegetable oils and other polyunsaturated triglycerides. These soaps are
characterized by weaker intermolecular forces between the salts. They readily
dissolve, yet also tend not to last as long.
3. Lithium Soap: Moving down the periodic table in the alkali metals group, it
should be obvious soap may be made using lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as
easily as NaOH or KOH. Lithium soap is used as a lubricating grease.
Sometimes complex soaps are made using lithium soap and also calcium
soap.

Safety Tips for Working with Lye:

1. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and shoes. These layers prevent lye
from contacting your skin
2. Wear latex or dishwashing gloves throughout the entire soap making process
3. Wear protective eye goggles. If lye comes into contact with your eyes,
immediately rinse your eyes with cool running water for at least 15 minutes
4. Keep vinegar on hand to neutralize any lye spills
CONCLUSION:

Triglyceride reacted with NaOH giving soap as precipitate and glycerine as its
Byproduct, this is called saponification reaction. The precipitate was confirmed to be
soap by taking 5-15 mg of it in a test tube and shaking vigorously with distilled water.
The formation of lather i.e bubbles confirms that the precipitate is soap.

REFERENCES :
● Morrison, Boyd, Bhattacharjee Organic Chemistry 7ed
● Engineering Chemistry Manual
● Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
● http://www.chem.ucla.edu/
● https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Supplemental_Mo
dules_(Organic_Chemistry)/Esters/Reactivity_of_Esters/Saponification