Palladium Catalyst

Palladium catalyst, Palladium on Activated Charcoal also known as Palladium on Carbon (Pd on C) is a mild hydrogenation catalyst. It is generally a catalyst of choice when the functional group to be hydrogenated is a part of a molecule which has also got some other functional group capable of getting hydrogenated. It is also a catalyst of choice for getting a specific type of isomer. It is therefore a catalyst for selective hydrogenation. Further, it can also be safely used where the reaction conditions are acidic, viz. where acetic acid is a solvent or dilute sulphuric acid is an additive.