hydrierten

Hydrierten is a German term commonly used to describe substances that have undergone hydrogenation—the chemical addition of molecular hydrogen (H2) to unsaturated substrates. In English, the corresponding adjective is hydrogenated; hydrierten is used in German-language literature to label hydrogenated compounds or materials.

Hydrogenation typically involves a metal catalyst (such as nickel-based catalysts, palladium, platinum, or ruthenium) under elevated pressure and moderate temperatures. The reaction adds hydrogen across carbon–carbon multiple bonds (for example alkenes to alkanes) or reduces other unsaturations, such as nitro groups to amines or carbonyl groups to alcohols, depending on conditions and catalysts.

Common applications include food technology and petrochemistry. In the food industry, hydrogenation converts liquid vegetable oils into more solid fats to improve texture and shelf life. Partially hydrogenated oils historically produced trans fats, which have been restricted or eliminated in many jurisdictions due to health concerns. In chemical manufacturing, hydrogenation enables selective reduction of unsaturated substrates to prepare saturated products or intermediates, and enantioselective hydrogenations are used to access chiral compounds.

Industrial practice varies with substrate and desired outcome. Typical catalysts include Raney nickel for bulk hydrogenation and heterogeneous catalysts such as Pd/C or PtO2 for more selective processes; homogeneous catalysts (e.g., rhodium or ruthenium complexes) are used for fine chemicals and asymmetric hydrogenations.

Linguistically, hydrierten is the past participle form used in German to describe substances that have been hydrogenated; the English equivalent is hydrogenated.