This process is typically accomplished by the hydrolysis of a glycerol ester, such as the heating of a fat with an alkali.  
This process is typically accomplished by the hydrolysis of a glycerol ester, such as the heating of a fat with an alkali.  The molecule formed thereby is a long hydrocarbon chain with an ionic salt at one end, which is water-soluble, and a fatty acid on the other, which is not.  For ten points, name the process by which soap is formed.
This process is typically accomplished by the hydrolysis of a glycerol ester, such as the heating of a fat with an alkali.  
saponification (prompt on soap before it's mentioned)