Ruthenium and Osmium as Hydrogenation Catalysts

Little attention has been given to the use of ruthenium and osmium as catalysts for vapour-phase reactions. This paper shows that both these metals when supported on alumina possess significant activity for the hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. In the hydrogenation of butene, butadiene and acetylene their activity is comparable with that shown by the other platinum group metals, although ruthenium is generally more active than osmium.