Question

While preparing soap a small quantity of common salt is generally added to the reaction mixture of vegetable oil and sodium hydroxide. Which one of the following may be the purpose of adding common salt?

(A) To reduce the basic nature of the soap

(B) To make the soap neutral

(C) To enhance the cleansing power of the soap

(D) To favour the precipitation of the soap

Answer 1

To favour the precipitation of the soap

During saponification, the soap formed remains in a suspended form in the mixture. It is precipitated as a solid from the suspension by adding common salt to the suspension. This process is called salting out of soap.