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Embassy of India School

Moscow

This is to certify that Siddhant Gandhi (Roll

No-1205) has satisfactorily finished his
Investigatory Project work under the guidance
of his chemistry teacher Mr.Mahendra Kalra in
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the chemistry Laboratory of the school in the
academic year 2012-2013.
Signature
(Mr.Mahendra Kalra)

Acknowledgment
This project would not have been a success
without the immense support of Mr.Mahendra
Kalra, PGT Chemistry, Embassy of India School
Moscow and lab attendant without whose
support this project would not have been a
reality.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Deepika
Karnani, Principal, Embassy of India School
Moscow for helping in whatever way she
could.

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 (Signature of Candidate)

Contents
TITLE PAGE NO.
INTRODUCTION 5
EXPERIMENT 17
1)Aim 17
2)Materials Required 17
3)Theory 18

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4)Procedure 19
5)Observation 21
6)Conclusion 21
7)Bibliography 22

Introduction
What is a Soap?

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Soaps are potassium or sodium salts of long
chain carboxylic acids. In short they are salts of
fatty acids. All soaps
contain a positive ion
usually Na+ or K+ ion
which are usually long
chained carboxylic acids
obtained by the
hydrolysis of animal or
vegetable fats.

Soaps are obtained by treating vegetable or

animal oils and fats with a strongly alkaline
solution. The alkaline solution, often termed as
lye, promotes what is known as saponification.
LYE
Lye is a corrosive alkaline substance, commonly
sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda

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or historically potassium hydroxide from
hydrated potash.
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during
which molecules of water (H2O) are split
into hydrogen cations (H+, conventionally
referred to as protons)
and hydroxide anions (OH−) in the process of a
chemical mechanism. It is the type of reaction
that is used to break down certain polymers,
especially those made bycondensation
polymerization. Such polymer degradation is
usually catalysed by either acid, e.g.,
concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4), or alkali,
e.g., sodium hydroxide (NaOH).
Saponification
Saponification is a process that produces soap,
usually from fats and lye. In technical terms,
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saponification involvesbase (usually caustic
soda NaOH) hydrolysis of triglycerides, which
are esters of fatty acids, to form the
sodium saltof a carboxylate. In addition to soap,
such traditional saponification processes
produces glycerol. "Saponifiable substances"
are those that can be converted into soap.
In the industrial manufacture of soap tallow(fat
from animals such as cat and sheep) or
vegetable fat is heated with sodium hydroxide .
Once the saponification reaction is complete
sodium chloride is added to precipitate the
soap. The water layer is drawn off the top of
the mixture and glycerol is recovered using
vacuum distillation.
Crude soap obtained from saponification
contains sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide
and glycerol. These impurities are re,oved by

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boilin the crude soap in water and
reprecipitating the soap with salt.
soaps can be hard or soft if sodium hydroxide is
used in the
saponification reaction
then a hard soap is
obtained on the other
hand if potassium
hydroxide is used a soft
soap is formed.

Alternate uses of Saponification.

Fires involving oils burn hotter than flammable
liquids, rendering a standard extinguisher
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ineffective. Flammable liquids have flashpoints
under 100 degrees farheneit. Cooking oil is a
combusting liquid since it has a flashpoint over
100 degrees farheneit.
Such fires should be extinguished with a wet
chemical extinguisher. Extinguishers of this type
are designed to extinguish oils through
saponification. The extinguishing reagent
rapidly comverts the burning substance to a
non combustible soap. This process is
endothermic, i.e it absorbs thermal emergy
from its surroundings., decreasing the
temperature and eleminating the fire.

Saponification value
Saponification value (or "saponification
number"/"Koettstorfer number",[1] also referred
to as "sap" in short) represents the number of
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milligrams of potassium hydroxide required
to saponify 1g of fatunder the conditions
specified. It is a measure of the
average molecular weight (or chain length) of
all the fatty acids present.
Fats and Oils
Fats and oils are esters of triglycerols and fatty
acids.
Hydrolysis can break down a fat or oil and
release the triglycerol and fatty acids.
If gthe hydrolysis is carried under Alkaline
conditions a soap can be made and the
saponification value can be found to compare
their realive molecular masses and the relative
chaion length of the fatty acids.
Vegetable fats and oils
Vegetable fats and oils are lipid materials
derived from plants. Physically, oils are liquid
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at room temperature, and fats are solid.
Chemically, both fats and oils are composed
of triglycerides, as contrasted with waxes which
lack glycerin in their structure. Although many
plant parts may yield oil,[1] in commercial
practice, oil is extracted primarily from seeds.
The melting temperature distinction between
oils and fats is imprecise, since definitions of
room temperature vary, and typically natural
oils have a melting range instead of a single
melting point since natural oils are not
chemically homogeneous. Although thought of
as esters of glycerin and a varying blend of fatty
acids, fats and oils also typically contain free
fatty acids, monoglycerides and diglycerides,
and unsaponifiable lipids.
Vegetable fats and oils may or may not be
edible.

Triglycerides

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A triglyceride (TG, triacylglycerol, TAG,
or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived
from glycerol and three fatty acids. It is the
main constituent of vegetable oil and animal
fats.

Uses of Tryglyceride vegetable oil

Culinary Use
Many vegetable oils are consumed directly, or
indirectly as ingredients in food. The oils serve a
number of purposes in this role.

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Texture-Oils can serve to make other
ingredients stick together less.
Flavour-while less flavor oils command
premium prices, oils such as olive oil or almond
oil may be chosen specifically for the flavor they
impart.
Flavour base- oils can also carry flavours of
other ongredients, since many flavours are
present in chemicals that are soluble in oil.

Industrial uses
Vegetable oils are used as an ingredient or
component in amnmy manufactured products.
Many vegetable oils are ised to make soaps,
skin products, candles, perfumes and many
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other personal care and cosmetic products.
Some oils are particularly suitable as drying oils,
and are used in making paints and other wood
treatment products. One limiting factor on
industrial uses of vegetable oils is thal all such
oils eventually chemically decompose turning
rancid. Oils that are more stable, such as ben oil
orimineral oil, are preferred for some industrial
uses.

Rancid
Rancidification is the chemical
decomposition of fats, oils and other lipids (this
degradation also occurs in mechanical cutting
fluids). When these processes occur in food,
undesirable odors and flavors can result. In
some cases, however, the flavors can be
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desirable (as in aged cheeses). In processed
meats, these flavors are collectively known as
"warmed over flavor". Rancidification can also
detract from the nutritional value of the food.
Some vitamins are highly sensitive to
degradation.
Fuel
Vegetable oils are also used to make biodiesel,
which can be used like conventional diesel.
Some vegetable oil blends are used in
unmodified vehicles but straight vegetable oil,
also known as pure plant oil, needs specially
prepared vehicles which have a method of
heating the oil to reduce its viscosity.

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 Experiment
Aim- To prepare soap through saponification
reaction of different oil and fat and to calculate
the mass of soap prepared.
Materials Required-
1) 3 samples of oils and fats

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 2) Sodium chloride
3) Burner
4) Glass rod
5) Dil. Sodium Hydroxide
6) Conical Flask
7) Filter Paper
8) Stand
9) Weighing Machine
10) Funnel
11) Water
12) Measuring Cylinder
13) Beaker

Theory:
Sasponification is the hydrolysys of an ester
under basic conditions to form an alcohol and
salt of a carboxylic acid.
Fat+ 3NaOH or KOH Glycerol +Crude Soap

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Soaps are sodium and potassium salts of fatty
acids made by boiling animal fat with potash or
lye.
A Saturated Solution is a solution in which no
more of a soluble substance can be added
without raising the temperature.

Procedure
1) Take 10 ml of a sample of fat or oil and
pour it in a beaker.
2) Take 15 ml of dil sodium hydroxide
solution and pour it in the beaker
containing the sample fat or oil.

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3) Wait until the two liquids are clearly
sepaprated in two layers.
4) Put the beaker over a burner using a stand
and allow it to heat for 10-15 minutes
until the solid substances are seen on top
of the liquid.
5) After the solid substance appears remove
the beaker from the stand and allow it to
cool down.
6) As the beaker is cooling prepare a
concentrated sodium chloride solution by

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 dissolving the sodium chloride salt in
water until it becimes saturated.
7) Filter the solid substance formed in the
beaker using a funnel and filter paper
after adding saturated solution to it.
8) The filtered residue obtained is crude
soap.
9) Measure the mass of resiude using a
weighing machine
10) Note down observations and repeat the
experiment for different sample of fats
and oils.
Observations:-
The resiude obtained was soap formed by
saponification reaction.
Table
Sample of oils Mass of soap obtained
Olive oil 0.90g

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 Sunflower oil 2.23g
Ghee 6g

Conclusion:-
The yield of crude soap was maximum with
ghee followed by sunflower oil and olive oil.

Bibliography
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOAP
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/saponification

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www.realhandmadesoap.com/folders/FAQ/w
hat_is_saponification.htm

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