Micelles

also referred to as saponification. Saponification involves using alkali like sodium hydroxide to get sodium salts of carboxylates (which are collectively referred to as soap) along with glycerol.

The process of transesterification is used to make biodiesel. This takes triglycerides and makes methyl or ethyl esters of fatty acids. These can be used for fuel, making them good alternatives to the petroleum products used in fossil fuels.

MICELLES

Fatty acid salts have an ionic polar group at the head and a long nonpolar alkane or alkene tail. Theoretically, the polar end will be soluble in water, while the nonpolar tail will be insoluble in water. The polar group is considered to be hydrophilic, while the nonpolar group will by hydrophobic or “lipophilic”. In aqueous solutions, these compounds will form micelles and lipid bilayers. The micelles will be globules of fatty acids that are hydrophilic on the outside and hydrophobic on the inside. The lipid bilayer will be a layer of fatty acids that are polar on the outside and nonpolar on the inside. This is the structure seen for soaps and detergents. Figure 119 shows what a micelle looks like:

Figure 119.