Patent ID: 8338654

Claim:
A process for the hydrogenation of at least one unsaturated hydrocarbon compound, the process comprising reacting the unsaturated hydrocarbon compound with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, wherein the hydrogenation catalyst comprises an ordered intermetallic compound, wherein the intermetallic compound comprises at least one kind of metal of type A capable of activating hydrogen, and at least one kind of metal of type B not capable of activating hydrogen, and the structure of the intermetallic compound is such that at least one kind of type A metals is mainly surrounded by atoms of type B metals, wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon compound is selected from the group consisting of alkynes, dialkynes, trialkynes and polyalkynes, and wherein the hydrogenation catalyst comprises PdGa, Pd 2 Ga, or Pd 3 Ga 7 .