Raney Nickel
Raney Nickel is an alloy of nickel and aluminum. While it can be used as a hydrogenation catalyst for the reduction of alkenes, Raney Nickel is most often used for the direct replacement of C-S bonds with C-H bonds, as in the desulfuration of thioketals. With most commercial grades of Raney Nickel it is generally not necessary to add H2 since hydrogen is already adsorbed on the metal surface.