Question

Why saponification is so called?

Answer 1

The reaction is called a saponification from the Latin sapo which means soap. The name comes from the fact that soap used to me made by the ester hydrolysis of facts. Due to the basic conditions a carboxylate ion is made rather than a carboxylic acid.

Answer 2

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 in a soap and glycerol this is called alkalin hydrolysis of esters since this reaction lead to the formation of soap it is called the saponification process