Saponification definition

Saponification

Topics Saponification Definition

WordNet

(1) A chemical reaction in which an ester is heated with an alkali (especially the alkaline hydrolysis of a fat or oil to make soap)

WiktionaryText

The hydrolysis of an ester under basic conditions to form an alcohol and the salt of the acid.
The reaction of a metallic alkali (base) with a fat or oil to form soap.