Q.The catalyst used in the hydrogenation of oil is

A saturated fatty-acid chain is a straight, all-single-bonded carbon chain that packs closely against neighbouring molecules, giving strong van der Waals attraction and a solid fat at room temperature; an unsaturated chain contains one or more C=C double bonds, each of which puts a 'kink' in the chain that prevents close packing, weakening the attraction and lowering the melting point -- the more unsaturated a natural fat (itself always a mixture of triglycerides, so it melts over a range rather than at one sharp point), the lower and less crystalline its melting behaviour, as seen across coconut fat, olive oil and sunflower oil. A C=C bond can additionally be cis (the two double-bond hydrogens on the same side) or trans (on opposite sides); cis is the common natural form, while trans fats occur only in animal fats and processed/hydrogenated oils. Because fats are transported in the body as lipoproteins carrying cholesterol, both saturated and trans-unsaturated fats increase the tendency of cholesterol depositing in blood vessels (raising cardiovascular disease risk) via excess LDL, while cis-unsaturated fats do not. Within the unsaturated family, fatty a …