Hydrogenation of Alkenes
- Alkenes are very useful compounds as they can undergo many types of reactions
- They can therefore be used as starting molecules when making new compounds
- The reaction between an alkene and hydrogen is known as hydrogenation or reduction
- As well as a nickel catalyst, this requires a temperature of 200 °C and a pressure of 1000 kPa
Catalytic hydrogenation converts alkenes into useful alkanes
- One important application of this reaction is in the production of margarine from vegetable oils
- Vegetable oils are unsaturated and may be hydrogenated to make margarine, which has a higher melting point due to stronger London Dispersion Forces
- By controlling the conditions it is possible to restrict how many of the C=C bonds are broken and produce partially hydrogenated vegetable oils which have which have the desired properties and textures for margarine manufacture