Question

What type of carbon-carbon bonds is present in vanaspati ghee?
A: Single bonds
B Double bonds
C: Triple bonds
D: None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Carbon has four electrons in its valence shell. It can either gain four electrons or lose four electrons. But in this process a lot of energy is required due to which carbon makes covalent bonds. It has four electrons in its outermost shell due to which it can make four covalent bonds. It can form a maximum of three bonds with an element.

Complete step by step answer:Carbon has four electrons in its valence shell, this means it can gain as well as lose four electrons. Since this process requires a lot of energy carbon makes four covalent bonds with a maximum of three bonds with an element. Carbon can make double or triple bonds with other carbon atoms. If it makes a single bond with another carbon atom then it is said to be saturated hydrocarbon but if it makes double or triple bond with another carbon atom then it is said to be unsaturated hydrocarbon. General formula of saturated hydrocarbons is ${C_n}{H_{\left( {2n + 2} \right)}}$. General formula of hydrocarbons having double bond between carbon-carbon atoms is ${C_n}{H_{\left( {2n} \right)}}$. general formula of hydrocarbon having triple bond between carbon-carbon atoms is ${C_n}{H_{\left( {2n - 2} \right)}}$. If we see these general formulas carefully we will observe that these hydrocarbons differ only with the number of hydrogen atoms. This means if we will add hydrogen atoms to unsaturated hydrocarbons (that is hydrocarbons having double or triple bond between carbon-carbon atoms) then they can be converted into saturated hydrocarbons (hydrocarbons having a single bond between carbon-carbon atoms). This process in which hydrogen is added to hydrocarbon is called hydrogenation.
Vegetable oils are unsaturated hydrocarbons. These oils are converted into vanaspati ghee by hydrogenation. In this process unsaturated double bonds of vegetable oil are converted into fatty saturated single bonds and vanaspati ghee is formed. This means there are single bonds between carbon atoms of vanaspati ghee.
So, the correct answer is option A that is single bonds.

Note:
Dehydrogenation is the reverse of hydrogenation. In this reaction hydrogen is removed from saturated hydrocarbons and they are converted into unsaturated hydrocarbons while in hydrogenation there is addition of hydrogen atoms and unsaturated compounds are converted into saturated ones.