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After observing the pyrophoric property of the nickel left during the reduction of organic compounds with Raney nickel aluminum alloy, in the presence of an aqueous alkali, according to Papa and co-workers,1•2 we found this nickel very active as a hydrogenation catalyst. By a slight modification of Papa's procedure, a Raney nickel catalyst (that has been designated as T-l) was obtained.T-l was found to be more active at low pressures (50-60 p.s.i.) and temperatures (40-60°) and also easier to prepare, than W-6.3 The studies by Adkins and co-workers4•6 on improved Raney nickel catalysts, showed that the temperature and alkali concentration acting on the alloy were important factors that might explain the activity of the Raney nickel catalyst T-l.All the products of the hydrogenation of the aand /3-naphthols, phenol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, n-glucose, heptaldehyde, benzylidenacetone, and coumarin, were identified by their physical constants and their proper derivatives. It was not possible to reduce the 0-methoxynaphthol under the experimental conditions. EXPERIMENTAL Preparation of the T-l Raney nickel catalyst. In a 1-1. three necked flask containing COO ml. of a 10% sodium hydroxide solution, 40 g. of Raney nickel aluminum alloy (50%), was added in small portions (20-30 min.), with mechanical stirring, the temperature being kept during the addition at 90-95°; then the mixture was stirred for 1 hr. The stirring was interrupted, the nickel was allowed to settle, and the solution was decanted. The residue was washed with five 200-ml. portions of water, then five times with 50 ml. of ethanol, in such a way that the nickel was always covered with liquid. Then the catalyst was stored(1) D.