Why do the most stable alkenes have the smallest heat of hydrogenation?
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Solution
Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation can be defined as the chemical process that happened when any chemical compound having double bond reacts with the molecular hydrogen.
This reaction is performed in the presence of some catalyst.
This approach is commonly used to decrease double/triple bonds or to saturate organic compounds.
The Reason Why Alkenes Have The Smallest Heat of Hydrogenation
Alkenes are double-bonded unsaturated hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are organic molecules that include both carbon and hydrogen.
Alkenes are less stable than alkanes and they have higher reactivity than alkanes. The heat of the hydrogenation of alkenes is determined by the alkene's stability.
The heat of hydrogenation is inversely proportional to the alkene's stability which implies that if the numerical value of heat is high then more energy is released. This implies that the double bond is easily broken.
The most stable alkenes produce the smallest heat of hydrogenation because they are already stable and they do not undergo hydrogenation that easily.
