Raney Brand of Catalysts

Raney® catalyst is an alloy of heavy metals such as Ni, Co, and Cu, which have catalytic properties, and light metals such as Al and Si, which are easily attacked by alkalis, acids, etc. The light metals are removed by alkali or other treatments (expansion treatment) to produce catalytic properties. Raney® is a registered trademark of W. R. Grace & Co. 　In Japan, we started manufacturing and selling Raney® catalysts for the first time in 1953, and we currently sell W. R. Grace's RANEY® catalysts as a trading company. Nickel, cobalt, and copper are the most common types of catalysts, with nickel catalysts being the most widely used, and are widely used in various fields such as fine chemicals, foods, oils and fats, and petrochemicals for dehalogenation and dehydrogenation as well as hydrogenation reactions. The expanded (activated) catalyst is usually stored in water because it may generate heat, become red-hot, or catch fire when dried. In many cases, palladium carbon (Pd/C) and other catalysts are preferentially considered for safety and handling reasons, but they are less expensive than precious metal catalysts and often show higher advantages over other catalysts in the reduction of imines, nitriles, nitro, and oximes.

We handle a variety of RANEY® catalysts from W.R. Grace.

All RANEY® catalysts we handle are deployed (activated) catalysts that have had their inert components removed. They can be used as they are without any activation process by customers. *Dry base is the weight of the catalyst itself in a dry state. If water is included, the weight will be about twice as much.

If the reaction target is a non-polar solvent, dehydration (solvent substitution) is required before using the catalyst in the reaction. If the solvent substitution is not sufficient, the catalyst may not perform as well as it should. Alcoholic solvents are generally used for solvent displacement. Since catalysts generate heat when dried, weight in water is generally used for weighing catalysts, but paste weight is also often used in factories to simplify the weighing process. Since accurate weighing of catalysts is difficult, we recommend that you use a catalyst with a wide range in the standard amount of catalyst used. 　Also, since the activity of the catalyst is maintained after use, it is necessary to work with great care to prevent heat generation and ignition. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed explanation of handling.