Consider the following statements: 1. Concentrated H₂SO₄ is used as a dehydrating agent in the esterification reaction. 2. The hydrophobic part of soap is oil and gets dissolved in water. 3. Nickel is used as a catalyst to convert vegetable oils into fats. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Statement 1 is correct: concentrated H₂SO₄ acts as a dehydrating agent (and catalyst) in esterification reactions by removing the water produced. Statement 2 is incorrect: the hydrophobic part of soap (the long hydrocarbon tail) dissolves in oil/grease, not in water; the hydrophilic head dissolves in water. Statement 3 is correct: in the hydrogenation of vegetable oils to form vanaspati (fats), finely divided nickel is used as a catalyst. Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 are correct.