Question
What do you understand by hydrogenation of oils or hardening of oils ?
Solution
Hydrogenation means the addition of hydrogen across double and triple bonds to form saturated compounds.
Hydrogenation is used for the conversion of polyunsaturated oils into edible fats. When dihydrogen under pressure is bubbled through vegetable oils (contain many C = C bonds) in the presence of finely divided nickel at about 400K, they are converted into solid fats. The product formed is called vanaspati ghee (hydrogenated vegetable oil).
The above reaction is known as hardening of oils.
