Question

3-18 Seed oils are often dehydrogenated and added back into processed foods as partly unsaturated fatty acids. In comparison with the original oil, the new fatty acids have additional double carbon-carbon bonds, replacing what were once single bonds. This process could also be described as _____________.

(a) isomerization
(b) oxidation
(c) reduction
(d) protonation

Answer 1

The process of adding hydrogen to double bonds in fatty acids, resulting in more saturated fats, is called 'hydrogenation'. Given the answer choices provided, none of them correctly describe the creation of additional double bonds; the proper term would be 'dehydrogenation'.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process described in the student's question refers to the addition of hydrogen atoms to the double bonds in the fatty acid chains of seed oils, which converts some of the double bonds into single bonds, resulting in a change from unsaturated to saturated fatty acids. This process is known as hydrogenation.

In terms of the options provided, the correct answer is hydrogenation, which is not explicitly listed among the answer choices (a) to (d). So, it seems there may be a misunderstanding in the question as presented. None of the answer choices accurately describe the process of creating additional double bonds through the removal of hydrogen (as the mention of 'dehydrogenated' suggests). If the process indeed refers to the removal of hydrogens (to create more unsaturated fatty acids), the correct term would be 'dehydrogenation' rather than hydrogenation. It's important to clarify the actual chemical process taking place.