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Question

When fats react with sodium hydroxide to produce soap and glycerol, the reaction is classified as:

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RRB NTPC 2025 Under Graduate CBT 1 Question Paper PDF (20-Jun-2026) (Shift 3)
The correct answer is

Saponification reaction

Fats and oils are esters of fatty acids with glycerol.

When a fat or oil is heated with a strong alkali such as sodium hydroxide, it is hydrolysed to give the sodium salt of the fatty acid, which is soap, along with glycerol.

This alkaline hydrolysis of an ester to form soap is called saponification.

Hence, the reaction of fats with sodium hydroxide to produce soap and glycerol is a saponification reaction.

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