Raney nickel is a solid catalyst composed of fine grains of a nickel-aluminium alloy, used in many industrial processes. The removal of the aluminum results in a higher surface area for the Raney nickel, which gives high catalytic activity. A high catalytic activity, coupled with the fact that hydrogen is absorbed within the pores of the catalyst during activation, makes Raney nickel a useful catalyst for many hydrogenation reactions. Its structural and thermal stability allows its use under a wide range of reaction conditions.