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Saponification Reaction

Chemistry Normal

Aim

To prepare soap by the saponification reaction of vegetable oil/fat with an alkali.

Materials Required

Vegetable oil / Fat
NaOH (Caustic Soda) solution
NaCl (Common Salt)
Beaker & Glass rod
Bunsen Burner
Fat/Oil + NaOH → Soap + Glycerol

Procedure

  1. Take about 20 ml of vegetable oil in a beaker.
  2. Add 20 ml of 20% NaOH solution into the beaker.
  3. Heat the mixture gently while stirring continuously until a thick paste forms.
  4. Remove from heat and add a spoonful of common salt (NaCl).
  5. Stir the mixture and let it cool. The soap will precipitate out and float on the top.

Precautions

  • Handle NaOH carefully as it is highly corrosive.
  • Heat the mixture gently to avoid splashing.
  • Do not touch the freshly prepared soap with bare hands immediately.

Observation Table

S.No. Step Observation

📹 Experiment Video

💡 Watch this video to see how the saponification reaction is performed in a real lab.

1. Saponification is a reaction between:

2. The by-product of saponification is:

3. NaCl is added during preparation to:

4. A soap molecule has:

5. Saponification is an example of:

Lab Report

Aim: To prepare soap by the saponification reaction of vegetable oil/fat with an alkali.

Conclusion: Soap was successfully prepared by heating fat/oil with NaOH (Saponification). Common salt (NaCl) was added to precipitate and separate the solid soap from the glycerol by-product.

Recorded Observations

  • Perform the simulation to generate observations.