Raney Nickel

Abstract

Raney nickel is a porous nickel suspension primarily prepared from alkali soaking of 50% nickel‐aluminum alloy but can also be prepared by acid soaking (e.g., HCl). According to the temperature and alkali concentration, different types of Raney nickel can be prepared. The study finds that Raney nickels retain about one half to one hydrogen per atom of nickel, with the hydrogen attached in a metastable state. All the characterstics of this catalyst have been discussed. It has been observed that the activity of this catalyst is proportional to its hydrogen content. Raney nickel has many applications in organic synthesis include desulfurization and deselenization. In addition to these applications, Raney nickel has been widely used for the cleavage of chemical bonds.