Question

Hydrolysis of oil by caustic alkali is called _________.

Options

• esterification

• saponification

• acetylation

• carboxylation

Answer 1

Hydrolysis of oil by caustic alkali is called saponification.

Explanation:

Saponification is the chemical process in which a fat or oil (ester) reacts with a caustic alkali (NaOH or KOH) to produce soap (fatty acid salt) and glycerol. The word comes from sapo (Latin for soap). The reaction can be written as:

Fat/Oil (Triglyceride) + NaOH → Soap (RCOONa) + Glycerol