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ANALYSIS OF FATS AND OILS

Activity No. 5

OBJECTIVES:
1. To be able to know some common properties of fats and oils

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

1. Spot Test for Fat
Upon observation, I noticed that when we place coconut oil on a paper and wait
thirty minutes for it to dry the result is that the spot where the oil was placed becomes
translucent while when a place a drop of water on a paper and wait for thirty minutes to
dry the result is that the water leaves no translucent traces.
The reason why coconut oil leaves a translucent spot or stain is because there is
a presence of fats in the sample.
2. Color, Solubility and Density
The colors of each samples are different. The color of the coconut oil is light yellow,
the color of the olive oil is yellow gold, and glycerol is colorless
Liquid water is held together by hydrogen bonds. Oils and fats not have any polar
part and so for them to dissolve in water they would have to break some of water’s
hydrogen bonds. Water will not do this so the oil is forced to stay separate from the water.
Glycerol is easily soluble in water, due to the ability of the polyol groups to form
hydrogen bonds with water molecules.
Olive oil and coconut oil are not water soluble so their acidity cannot be measured
in terms of pH.
Sample Coconut oil Olive oil glycerol
Water soluble Insoluble Insoluble soluble
Glycerol is slightly denser than water with a specific gravity of 1.26. This means
that when glycerol is poured into a container of water, it will sink to the bottom.
Oils density is always lower than that of the water, so that all the oils float in it and
remain on the surface. The density of the oil changes with the temperature. As the
temperature rises, the oil expands, and therefore its density decreases. It is therefore
necessary to express the density of the oil in relation to the temperature.
The solubility of vegetable oils in aqueous ethanol depends on the concentration of
alcohol and temperature of the system. In 95% ethanol they are miscible between 90°
and 100°C. Addition of a good solvent, like n-hexane, increases the solubility of oils, and
the solubility temperatures are lowered.
Sample Coconut oil Olive oil glycerol
Ethanol soluble soluble soluble soluble
 The oil dissolves completely in hot alcohol and the major portion of it separates out
by just cooling the miscella to about 20°0. (2). the usual method of obtaining the oil in the
case of other solvents is by the distillation of the solvent.
Sample Coconut oil Olive oil glycerol
Hot Ethanol soluble soluble soluble soluble
Fats and oils is soluble in chloroform because they are highly soluble in the non-
polar or weakly polar organic solvents
Sample Coconut oil Olive oil glycerol
Chloroform soluble soluble soluble Insoluble

Sample Coconut oil Olive oil glycerol

NaOH soluble Insoluble Insoluble soluble

Sample Coconut oil Olive oil glycerol

Density 0.908 – 0.921 0.913 – 0.916 1260 kg/ m2
0.00091 0.00091 1.26

Fats are soluble in organic solvents like chloroform, alcohol, etc. yet it is insoluble in water.
So, if the given sample forms an oily layer above the surface of the water, then fat is
present. Partially soluble in alcohol and fully soluble in chloroform than the presence of
fat is confirmed. If the sample is miscible with chloroform and immiscible with water
the fat presence is confirmed.
3. Reaction towards indicators
Upon observation when the drops of coconut oil is placed on the blue and red litmus
paper there were no color changes in the litmus paper, the blue litmus paper is still blue
and the red litmus paper is still red.
In the same procedure we placed drops of rancid oil on the blue and red litmus
paper and upon observation the color of the blue litmus paper change from blue going to
red and on the red litmus paper there were no color changes, it is still the same.
The reaction the coconut oil when added witch congo change its color to red on the
other hand when we add congo red to the test tube with rancid oil it change its color to
bluish violet.

4. Acrolein Test
According to the result given in the video the odor of both oils elicited an acrid or
irritating smell. The reason why the odor is acrid was because it detected the presence
of fat and was also dehydrated to form the unsaturated aldehyde, acrolein (CH2=CH–
CHO), which has the odor peculiar to burnt cooking grease.
Chemical equation:
HCHO + CH3CHO → CH2=CHCHO + H2O

5. Test for Unsaturation

The iodine number equals the number of mg of iodine required to saturate the fatty
acids present in 100 mg of the oil or fat. Oils rich in saturated fatty acids have low iodine
numbers, while oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids have high iodine numbers. In the
 experiment, Hubl's iodine is added gradually to a fixed volume of the oil dissolved in
chloroform. As long as double bonds are available, the color of iodine does not appear in
the solution as the iodine is absorbed by the double bonds. When all the double bonds
are saturated, the color of iodine appears in the solution. The iodine number may be
calculated from the volume of the oil taken, specific gravity of the oil and the volume of
Hubl's iodine required to impart its color to the solution of oil. Iodine numbers are often
used to determine the amount of unsaturation in fats, oils and waxes.
In fatty acids, unsaturation occurs mainly as double bonds which are very reactive
towards halogens, the iodine in this case. Thus, the higher the iodine value, the more
unsaturations are present in the fat.
All four samples have different results, upon observation have shown the color of
the iodine but among all the sample oleic acid was the sample who absorbed most of the
iodine solution.
The results show that, by comparison, linseed oil contains more unsaturated C=C
double bonds than coconut oil as it was able to decolorize a greater volume of bromine
water; linseed oil is said to have a higher number than coconut oil.
Unsaturated fats have a lower melting point and are more likely to be liquid at room
temperature while Saturated fats have a higher melting point and are more likely to be
solid at room temperature.

6. Drying Oil
The coconut oil dried slower than the linseed oil. The reason for this result is that
coconut oil contains a highly saturated fat whereas linseed oil contains more unsaturated
fats. It is also due to how certain oils are obtained.

7. Emulsification
An emulsion can be defined as a mixture of oily and watery liquids. To make an
emulsion you need an emulsifier and force such as whisking and beating to break the
oil droplets apart so they mix with the watery liquid. There are two types of
emulsions. The first is when water gets dispersed into fat/oil (such as butter, margarine
or chocolate) and the second is when oil/fat gets dispersed in water (such as milk,
mayonnaise, or salad dressing).
In this test I observe that each test tube result has different outcome; for test tube
1 oil and water di not emulsify as there is no emulsifier that would help them mix
altogether, on the upper part of the water was the oil. For test tube 2 the result of the
mixture was emulsified because soap was added, and the soap acted as an emulsifier
and the color of the test tube is misty white. In test tube 3 all mixture was mixed because
albumin solution acted as an emulsifier and the color of the result is transparent. Lastly
for test tube 3 the mixture was emulsified because Na2CO3 solution acted as an
emulsifier for the mixture.
Out of the four test tube only test tube 1 was not emulsified because there was no
emulsifier was added in the mixture. In the 4 test tube, test tube 2,3, and 4 formed a
permanent emulsion because there was no oil present after mixing all the mixture in test
tube 2, 3, and 4.

8. Glycerol
Powdered Borax crystals can be changed to a glassy form by heating with a
Bunsen burner or a propane torch. Most Bunsen burners have the ability to control gas
 and air flow into the burner, which subsequently control the height and intensity of the
flame produced. The oxidizing region of the Bunsen flame is produced with very high
amounts of oxygen. This corresponds to the outer region of the Bunsen flame as this
portion of the flame is in contact with high amounts of oxygen from the air. If the burner
is turned up ‘roaring hot,’ this flame is a purple color. The reducing region of the flame is
produced with low amounts of oxygen. This corresponds to the inner region of the Bunsen
flame. If the burner is turned up ‘roaring hot,’ this flame is a blue color.
In this test I have observed that the green flame was only a small portion of the
bigger flame. The flame produce by the mixture has 3 colors; yellow, yellow orange, and
green.

9. Basic Hydrolysis or Saponification

The saponification process is a hydrolysis reaction, which is the reversal of the
esterification reaction. In this experiment, we will use a saturated fat made from
hydrogenated olive oil to prepare a soap, which will be primarily sodium stearate. In this
process the triglyceride is reacted with a strong base such as sodium or potassium
hydroxide to produce glycerol and fatty acid salts. The salt of the fatty acid is called a
soap. Soap is produced by the saponification of a fat or oil.
Fats and oils are called triglycerides because they are esters composed of three fatty acid
units joined to glycerol, a trihydroxy alcohol. If all three OH groups on the glycerol
molecule are esterified with the same fatty acid, the resulting ester is called a simple
triglyceride. Although simple triglycerides have been synthesized in the laboratory, they
rarely occur in nature. Instead, a typical triglyceride obtained from naturally occurring fats
and oils contains two or three different fatty acid components and is thus termed a mixed
triglyceride.
Equation:

CONCLUSION:
In my understanding, fatty acids are components of many types of lipids. Fatty acids are
carboxylic acids with very long hydrocarbon chains, usually 12-18 carbon atoms long. Even
though these carboxylic acids can hydrogen bond with water, they are insoluble because of the
length of their hydrocarbon chains. Fatty acids can be saturated or unsaturated. A saturated fatty
acid contains no carbon-carbon double bonds, so it is “saturated” with hydrogen. Unsaturated
fatty acids contain one or more cis double bonds. (Very few naturally occurring fatty acids contain
Trans double bonds.) The presence of cis double bonds has an important effect on the melting
point of the fatty acid. Cis double bonds form rigid kinks in the fatty acid chains (remember that
there is no rotation around a double bond), and the result is that unsaturated fatty acids cannot
line up very well to give a regularly arranged crystal structure. Saturated fatty acids, on the other
hand, line up in a very regular manner. The result of this is that saturated fatty acids have high
melting points and are usually solids at room temperature. Unsaturated fatty acids, however,
have low melting points and are usually liquids at room temperature. Fats and oils both belong
to a class of molecules called triacylglycerol or triglycerides. Fats usually come from animal
sources and are solids at room temperature, and oils are generally from plant sources and are
liquids at room temperature. Triglycerides are triesters of glycerol and three fatty acid molecules.
 The fatty acids in the triglyceride can be the same or different. Naturally occurring fats and oils
are typically mixtures of different triglycerides. The melting point of a particular fat or oil depends
on the proportions of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid components present. For example,
butter (which is a fat) contains about 30% unsaturated fatty acids and about 70% saturated fatty
acids and cholesterol. Corn oil contains about 88% unsaturated fatty acids and about 12%
saturated fatty acids. In general, the higher the degree of unsaturation, the lower the melting
point of the fat or oil.
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