Hydrolysis

This short video looks at the alkaline catalysed hydrolysis of both simple and complex esters - the later making a soap in what is also known as a saponification reaction. The hydrolysis of ethyl ethanoate is shown first, followed by the hydrolysis (saponification) of tristearine. The next video in the series looks at how we determine the saponification value of a fat or oil.

This video both demonstrates and explains the factors that control the rate of hydrolysis of haloalkanes. 1-chlorobutane should be more reactive than 1-iodobutane, on the basis that the C-Cl bond is more polar than the C-I bond - thus attracting the nucleophile better. However, 1-iodobutane would be expected to react faster on the basis that the C-I bond is weaker than the C-Cl bond, thus lowering the activation energy of the reaction. This video identifies which of the two factors has the greater influence on the rate.