Saponification
<p><b >Saponification</b> is a process that produces <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap" title="Soap" >soap</a>, usually from fats and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lye" title="Lye" >lye</a>. In technical terms, saponification involves <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base(chemistry)" title="Base (chemistry)" >base</a> (usually <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caustic_soda" title="Caustic soda" class="mw-redirect" >caustic soda</a>NaOH) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolysis" title="Hydrolysis" >hydrolysis</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triglyceride" title="Triglyceride" >triglycerides</a>, which are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester" title="Ester" >esters</a> of fatty acids, to form the sodium <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt(chemistry)" title="Salt (chemistry)" >salt</a> of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboxylate" title="Carboxylate" >carboxylate</a>. In addition to soap, such traditional saponification processes produces <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol" title="Glycerol" >glycerol</a>. </p>
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"Saponifiable substances" are those that can be converted into soap.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saponification#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup></p>