Question

What is meant by hydrogenation or addition of hydrogen? What is its application in industry?

Hint:

A catalyst like Ni or Pd is essential for this reaction to occur at practical rates.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Addition reactions occur in unsaturated hydrocarbons (alkenes and alkynes) where the double or triple bonds break to accommodate new atoms.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Hydrogenation: It is a chemical reaction where hydrogen gas (\(\text{H}_2\)) is added to an unsaturated hydrocarbon in the presence of a catalyst like finely divided Nickel (Ni) or Palladium (Pd) to form a saturated hydrocarbon.
Industrial Application: This process is widely used commercially for the hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
Liquid vegetable oils (which contain unsaturated fatty acids) are reacted with hydrogen to produce solid or semi-solid vegetable ghee (which contains saturated fatty acids, e.g., Vanaspati ghee).

Step 3: Final Answer:
It converts unsaturated hydrocarbons to saturated ones and is used industrially to convert liquid vegetable oils into solid fats.