Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

Hydrogenation, a form of chemical reduction, is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen H2 and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically constitutes the addition of pairs of hydrogen atoms to a molecule, generally an alkene. Catalysts are required for the reaction to be usable non-catalytic hydrogenation takes place only at very high temperatures. Hydrogen adds to double and triple bonds in hydrocarbons.

Because of the importance of hydrogen, many related reactions have been developed for its use. Most hydrogenations use gaseous hydrogen H2 , but some involve the alternative sources of hydrogen, not H2 these processes are called transfer hydrogenations. The reverse reaction, removal of hydrogen from a molecule, is called dehydrogenation. A reaction where bonds are broken while hydrogen is added is called hydrogenolysis, a reaction that may occur to carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom O, N, X bonds. Hydrogenation differs from protonation or hydride addition in hydrogenation, the products have the same charge as the reactants.

An illustrative example of a hydrogenation reaction is the addition of hydrogen to maleic acid to succinic acid depicted on the right. 2 Numerous important applications are found in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical and food industries. Hydrogenation of unsaturated fats produces saturated fats and, in some cases, trans fats.

Hydrogenation has three components, the unsaturated substrate, the hydrogen or hydrogen source and, invariably, a catalyst. The reaction is carried out at different temperatures and pressures depending upon the substrate and the activity of the catalyst.

Hydrogenation is sensitive to steric hindrance explaining the selectivity for reaction with the exocyclic double bond but not the internal double bond.