Dehydrogenation

In chemistry, dehydrogenation is a chemical reaction that involves the removal of hydrogen, usually from an organic molecule. It is the reverse of hydrogenation. Dehydrogenation is important, both as a useful reaction and a serious problem. At its simplest, it is a useful way of converting alkanes, which are relatively inert and thus low-valued, to olefins, which are reactive and thus more valuable. Alkenes are precursors to aldehydes (R−CH=O), alcohols (R−OH), polymers, and aromatics. As a problematic reaction, the fouling and inactivation of many catalysts arises via coking, which is the dehydrogenative polymerization of organic substrates.

Enzymes that catalyze dehydrogenation are called dehydrogenases.

In metal manufacturing and repairs, dehydrogenation is a thermal treatment which consists in removing the hydrogen absorbed by an object during an electrochemical or chemical process, performed in a specific oven at a temperature of 180–200 °C (360–390 °F) for a minimum time of 2 hours.