Saturday, November 17, 2012

THE HYDROGENATION OF ALKENES


THE HYDROGENATION OF ALKENES

This page looks at the reaction of the carbon-carbon double bond in alkenes with hydrogen in the presence of a metal catalyst. This is called hydrogenation. It includes the manufacture of margarine from animal or vegetable fats and oils.

Hydrogenation in the labThe hydrogenation of ethene
Ethene reacts with hydrogen in the presence of a finely divided nickel catalyst at a temperature of about 150°C. Ethane is produced.

This is a fairly pointless reaction because ethene is a far more useful compound than ethane! However, what is true of the reaction of the carbon-carbon double bond in ethene is equally true of it in much more complicated cases.

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