Raney nickel/ˈreɪniːˈnɪkəl/, also called spongy nickel,[1] is a fine-grained solid composed mostly of nickel derived from a nickel–aluminium alloy.[2][3] Several grades are known, of which most are gray solids. Some are pyrophoric, but most are used as air-stable slurries. Raney nickel is used as a reagent and as a catalyst in organic chemistry. It was developed in 1926 by American engineer Murray Raney for the hydrogenation of vegetable oils.[4][5]
Raney Nickel is a registered trademark of W. R. Grace and Company. Other major producers are Evonik and Johnson Matthey.
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M. S. Wainwright, "3.2 Skeletal metal catalysts" in: Gerhard Ertl, Helmut Knözinger, and Jens Weitkamp, ed.s, Preparation of Solid Catalysts (Weinheim, Federal Republic of Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag, 1999), pages 28–29.