Name the reaction which is commonly used in the conversion of vegetable oils to fats. Explain the reaction involved in detail.

Catalytic hydrogenation is the reaction usually used to convert vegetable oils to fats.

The process by which hydrogen molecules are added to an unsaturated hydrocarbon in the presence of a catalyst to obtain a saturated hydrocarbon is known as hydrogenation. In this process, the double bonds are removed from the unsaturated compounds (oils).

Example: When hydrogen is added to vegetable oils (unsaturated), a saturated product called ghee (semi-solid) is obtained.

The chemical equation of the reaction is given below:

$R_2C=CR_2 + H_2 \xrightarrow {Ni catalyst} R_2HC−CHR_2$