--- title: "Triglycerides and saponification Template | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/triglyceride-saponification/ description: "Triglycerides and saponification template: Glycerol and three fatty acids give a triacylglycerol. Hydroxide adds to each ester C=O, the glyceryl alkoxide…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-11-13 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biochemistry/) › Triglycerides and saponification [Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biochemistry/)Premium # Triglycerides and saponification template ![Triglycerides and saponification template: Glycerol and three fatty acids give a triacylglycerol. Hydroxide adds to each ester C=O, the glyceryl alkoxide leaves and takes the acid’s proton, so three NaOH turn the fat into glycerol and three carboxylate soaps.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/triglyceride-saponification.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Glycerol and three fatty acids give a triacylglycerol. Hydroxide adds to each ester C=O, the glyceryl alkoxide leaves and takes the acid’s proton, so three NaOH turn the fat into glycerol and three carboxylate soaps. ## Mechanism step by step Glycerol esterified by three fatty acids is a fat; hot NaOH hydrolyses the esters to glycerol and soap 1. **Addition** – OH⁻ attacks the ester carbonyl carbon 2. **Elimination** – C=O reforms and the glyceryl alkoxide leaves 3. **Proton transfer** – The alkoxide takes the acid’s proton: the carboxylate cannot react back 4. **Twice more** – The other two esters are cut the same way ## Key points - In the body, triacylglycerols are made from glycerol 3-phosphate and fatty acyl-CoA (acyltransferases), not from free acids. - Saponification uses 3 mol NaOH per mol of fat and is irreversible: the final proton transfer leaves a carboxylate that no nucleophile attacks. - Soaps are amphipathic. In water they form micelles, with the hydrocarbon tails inside (holding grease) and the COO⁻ heads facing the water. - In hard water, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ precipitate the soap as scum. The saponification value (mg KOH per g of fat) is higher for shorter chains. Drawn with 154 atoms, 12 arrows, 8 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Nelson & Cox, Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 8th ed., 2021, ch. 10](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781319228002) Textbook - [Nelson & Cox, Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 8th ed., 2021, ch. 21](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781319228002) Textbook - [Berg, Tymoczko, Gatto & Stryer, Biochemistry, 9th ed., 2019](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781319114657) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Triglycerides and saponification template free? You can preview the Triglycerides and saponification template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Triglycerides and saponification template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Are the biochemical pathways drawn with structures? Yes. Pathway templates show the intermediates as structures, with enzymes and cofactors (NAD⁺, FAD, ATP) on the arrows. ## More biochemistry templates [**Urea cycle**Free · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-urea-cycle/)[**Fatty acid β-oxidation**Free · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-beta-oxidation/)[**Electron transport chain and ATP synthase**Free · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-electron-transport/)[**Light reactions of photosynthesis**Premium · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-light-reactions/)[**Calvin cycle**Premium · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-calvin-cycle/)[**Pentose phosphate pathway**Premium · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-pentose-phosphate/)[**Peptide bond formation**Premium · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-peptide-bond/)[**Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)**Premium · Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-pcr/) ## Related pages [**All Biochemistry templates**56 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biochemistry/)[**All chemistry templates**458 templates in 31 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 458 templates - Export the 372 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. Every template can be opened and edited in MolDraw.