What process converts animal fats (triglycerides) into glycerol and soap (fatty acid sodium salts) using aqueous sodium hydroxide?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Saponification
Saponification is the base-catalyzed hydrolysis of triglyceride esters with NaOH or KOH, yielding 1,2,3-propanetriol (glycerol) and sodium salts of long-chain fatty acids (soaps).
Practise more Oxygen and Nitrogen Containing Compounds.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Medical University Entrance Examination (Bulgaria) mock tests.
More Oxygen and Nitrogen Containing Compounds questions
- What product is formed by the controlled oxidation of a secondary alcohol (such as propan-2-ol) with acidified potassium dichromate?
- Which reagent distinguishes primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols based on the rate of turbidity formation?
- Why is phenol significantly more acidic than cyclohexanol (pKa ~ 10 vs ~ 16)?
- What test distinguishes aldehydes from ketones by forming a bright silver mirror on the inner glass surface of the test tube?
- What reddish precipitate is formed when an aliphatic aldehyde is heated with Fehling's solution?
- Which structural feature is required for a compound to give a positive yellow precipitate in the iodoform (triiodomethane) test?