SAPONIFICATION

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("saponification" is a kind of...):

chemical reaction; reaction ((chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others)

Derivation:

saponify (convert into soap by hydrolizing an ester into an acid and alcohol as a result of treating it with an alkali)

saponify (become converted into soap by being hydrolized into an acid and alcohol as a result of being treated with an alkali)