Question

What is hydrogenation? What is its industrial application?

Answer 1

When unsaturated hydrocarbons (double/triple bond) are reacted with hydrogen in presence of a catalyst like nickel, the hydrogen gets added across the double/triple bond and converts the unsaturated hydrocarbon into saturated hydrocarbon. Such reaction is called addition reaction or hydrogenation.

Example :

Industrial use: It is used to convert vegetable oil into vanaspati ghee. 

Vegetable oil + H₂ + Ni + 473K → Vanaspati ghee

Answer 2

Hydrogenation is the process of addition of hydrogen. Unsaturated hydrocarbons are added with hydrogen in the presence of palladium and nickel catalysts to give saturated hydrocarbons.

This reaction is applied in the hydrogenation of vegetables oils, which contain long chains of unsaturated carbons.