[4] The catalyst was further developed by Homer Burton Adkins and Wilbur Arthur Lazier, partly based on interrogation of German chemists after World War II in relation to the Fischer–Tropsch process.

Adkins was the first to incorporate barium into the structure, which prevents the catalyst from being reduced to an inactive form during hydrogenation reactions.

Copper chromites catalyst are produced by thermal decomposition of diverse precursors.

This solid product is then calcined at 350–400 °C to yield the catalyst:[11] In some cases, alkene groups are hydrogenated.

More active catalysts, such as W-6 grade Raney nickel, also catalyze hydrogenations such as ester reductions.