EFFECT OF COMPOSITION ON THE COMPLETE 



HYDROGENATION OF SOME PHILIPPINE 



OILS WITH NICKEL CATALYST 



Luis Gonzaga 

 Instructor in Chemistry, University of the Philippines 



ONE PLATE AND THREE TEXT FIGURES 



INTRODUCTION 



In recent years the demand for edible oils has been steadily 

 increasing. As a result of this tendency, efforts have been 

 made to convert oils that were formerly used in the manufacture 

 of soaps and candles into edible oils, which are considerably 

 more valuable. The method that has proved most successful 

 is known as hydrogenation. The process consists in converting 

 fatty oils, which are liquid at ordinary temperatures, into hard, 

 solid fats. The liquid fats contain liquid unsaturated glycerides. 

 When they are treated with hydrogen in the presence of a 

 catalyst, these unsaturated substances are converted into solid 

 saturated compounds. The hydrogenation process has been 

 used successfully for making edible fats, like artificial butters 

 (margarine) and lard substitutes, and also for preparing fats 

 suitable for the soap and candle industries. This process 

 will, no doubt, encourage the investigation and production of 

 new oils that can be converted into edible products. 



Hydrogenation plants have been operating for some years in 

 various European countries and the United States, and recently 

 one was built in Manila. According to Krebs » the hydrogenat- 

 ing vessel which is used in the technical process of hydrogena- 

 tion has a capacity of from 1 to 30 barrels of oil. This is filled 

 with oil to the specified capacity. The oil contained m the 

 vessel is heated to the required temperature, and the catalyst, 



1 Krebs, A. W., Chemical Age 29 (1921) 315. 



