Dihydrogen chemistry 

H₂ is mostly produced through steam re-forming of hydrocarbons. The very simple reaction is

In this endothermic reaction, the equilibrium is focused to the right by make use of elevated temperatures (900°C). The general catalyst is Ni hold up on Al₂O₃. The H₂-CO mixture is termed as synthesis gas or syngas, and might be used directly for additional reactions, the very significant being methanol synthesis:

CO+2H₂ → CH₃OH

A Cu-ZnO-Al₂O₃ catalyst is employed, that is less active than ones including metals in earlier groups, that's why the C-O bond is not broken. Methanol is a significant stage in further synthesis; for instance, the Monsanto acetic acid process catalyzed through Rh compounds.

Other significant reaction for synthesizing helpful organic compounds is hydroformylation:

RCH = CH₂ + CO + H₂→ RCH₂CH₂CHO

Homogeneous catalysts derived from cobalt carbonyl compounds were used before, but have been largely substituted through the Union-Carbide process along with [(Ph₃P)₂Rh(CO)Cl] like the catalyst.

Two main uses of H₂ are for the hydrogenation and ammonia synthesis of unsaturated vegetable oils to compose margarine. The previous reaction is exothermic and the equilibrium constant so reduces along with temperature. A potassium-promoted iron catalyst is employed In the Haber process, this comparatively reactive metal being essential to adsorb and dissociate the extremely stable N₂ molecule at moderate temperatures (400°C). The yield of NH₃ is enhanced through working at high pressure. Large-scale catalytic hydrogenation of the alkenes is generally performed with a Ni-SiO₂ catalyst. More selective hydrogenation for particular purposes (example pharmaceuticals in which particular isomers are needed) is possible with homogeneous catalysts; for instance, Wilkinson's catalyst (2), that goes through oxidative addition of H₂ under mild circumstances.