Hydrogenation - The Hydrogenation Reaction, Hydrogenation In The Research Laboratory, Hydrogenation In Industry, Biological Hydrogenation
carbon
Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction in which hydrogen atoms add to carbon-carbon multiple bonds. In order for the reaction to proceed at a practical rate, a catalyst is almost always needed. Hydrogenation reactions are used in many industrial processes as well as in the research laboratory, and occur also in living systems. We will look at a few examples in each category in this article.
Additional Topics
Many carbon compounds have triple bonds, and in a case such as that, two molecules of hydrogen are necessary to completely saturate the carbon compound with hydrogen.
Hydrogenation of a double or triple carbon-carbon bond will not occur unless the catalyst is present. Scientists have developed many catalysts for this kind of reaction. Most of them include a heavy metal, such as platinum …
The hydrogenation reaction is a useful tool for a scientist trying to determine the structure of a new molecule. The molecular formula, showing the exact number of each kind of atom, can be determined in several ways, but discovering the arrangement of these atoms requires a large amount of detective work. Sometimes, for example, a new substance is isolated from a plant, and a chemist needs to det…
Many of the carbon compounds found in crude petroleum are of little use. These compounds may contain multiple bonds, but can be converted to saturated compounds by catalytic hydrogenation. This is one source for much of the gasoline that we use today. Other chemicals besides gasoline are made from petroleum, and for these, too, the first step from crude oil may be hydrogenation. Another commercial…
Many chemical reactions within the body require the addition of two atoms of hydrogen to a molecule in order to maintain life. These reactions are much more complex than the ones described above, because hydrogen gas is not found in the body. These kinds of reactions require "carrier" molecules, which give up hydrogen atoms to the one undergoing hydrogenation. The catalyst in biologi…
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