What products would be formed if fatty acids were hydrolysed?

Question

i'm thinking that the answer may be soapy products but not 100% sure? please help

Answer 1

Fatty acids do not hydrolyse. Glycerides hydrolyse into fatty acid and glycerol.

Answer 2

I think you mean, what products would be formed if the ESTERS of the fatty acids were hydrolyzed. Well, if this is the question, then we get alcohols and the fatty acid:

R1COOR2 + H2O <==> R1COOH + R2OH

Where R1, R2 are alkyles.

If the hydrolysis takes place in an alkaline solution then we take alcohol and the salt of the fatty acid, which is indeed a soap:

then we get alcohols and the fatty acid:

R1COOR2 + NaOH --> R1COONa + R2OH

Answer 3

Depends on what fatty acids, to be sure.

If the hydrolysis takes place at the double bond, then a shorter chain fatty acid (or oil or ....) results, along with a scrap of alcohol or alkane (depending on which "side" the -H and -OH go to.) Markovnikov's Rule is out the window here because both sides are equally substituted.

Answer 4

Alkaline hydrolysis of fats affords salts of the fatty acids, those of the alkali metals being useful as soaps.

If the pH during the hydrolysis is lowered towards 7, I guess that very few ionisation of fatty acids takes place because they have very low solubility and Kha values in water.