Saponification is the hydrolysis of a carboxylic acid ester in a basic medium.

Saponification is
essentially a soap-manufacturing process that takes place by reacting the fatty acid with alkali,
especially triglycerides producing glycerol and carboxylate salts (soap).

In this experiment, saponification of ethyl-acetate in the presence
of sodium hydroxide was used to demonstrate the saponification reaction. When it comes to
chemical kinetics, this reaction is a famous second order reaction identified in literature.
(Reference 1&2 of pdf)