When Does Saponification Occur?
Saponification Is an Exothermic Chemical Reaction—Which Means That It Gives off Heat—That Occurs When Fats or Oils (Fatty Acids) Come into Contact with Lye, a...
Saponification is an exothermic chemical reaction—which means that it gives off heat—that occurs when fats or oils (fatty acids) come into contact with lye, a base. In this reaction, the triglyceride units of fats react with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and are converted to soap and glycerol.
How does saponification occur?
"Saponification is an age-old chemical process where triglycerides (plant or animal fats and oils) are mixed with aqueous lye (sodium hydroxide, NaOH, or potassium hydroxide, KOH, dissolved into water) and then heated to reaction," explains Christopher Fenk, Ph.
How do you know when saponification is complete?
The zap test is when you stick a bar of soap to your tongue. If it zaps you like a 9-volt battery, your soap is still not saponfied. If it doesn't, it is probably done with the process. Again, saponification takes about 24-48 hours.
Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.
