Question

what is soap?? how it is formed

Answer 1

Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty acids. When triglycerides in fat/oil react with aqueous NaOH or KOH, they are converted into soap and glycerol. This is called alkaline hydrolysis of esters. Since this reaction leads to the formationof soap, it is called the Saponification process.

Answer 2

Soap is a cleansing agent which mainly acts upon dirt and oil particles.
Formation of soap is called saponification in which an ester and a metallic base react to give metal acetate and alcohol.
CH3COOC2H5 + NaOH » CH3COONa + C2H5OH