Concept:
Soap is manufactured by hydrolysis of fats or oils with alkali. This reaction is known as saponification.
Step 1:
Natural fats and oils are mainly triglycerides.
Step 2:
Triglycerides react with NaOH or KOH during soap making.
Step 3:
The reaction produces soap (fatty acid salts) and glycerol.
Step 4:
This alkaline hydrolysis process is called saponification.
Step 5:
Therefore, the basic reaction in soap manufacture is saponification.