Question

while studying the saponification reaction what do you observe when you mix and equal amount of colourless vegetable oil and 20% aqueous solution of NaOH in a beaker

Answer 1

It is seen that the outer surface of the beaker grows warm/hot.

Answer 2

When you mix vegetable oil with 20% NaOH in ethanol. The alkaline hydrolysis leads to formation of the sodium salt of the fatty acid. Boil this under reflux to speed up the reaction and move it to completion. Reflux stops volatile components from escaping. The ethanol content is removed by distillation. The residue left is excess NaOH, glycerol and soap dissolved in minimum hot water Once cooled, pour it into concentrated NaCl solution. Stir and allow it to cool as well. Glycerol and NaOH dissolve in brine. Soap does not dissolve in brine and forms a cake on top of the liquid. Water, brine and glycerol is removed by a vacuum filtration. Soap is rinsed with ice-cold water to reduced amount, lost by dissolving