Abstract: The catalytic activity of amorphous Ni_63 Zr_32 La_5 ribbon for hydrogenation of ethyne to ethylene can be greatly enhanced when the alloy ribbon is pretreated with dilute acid solution,heated under negative atmosphere pressure and subjected to hydrogen reduction successively. The change of surface state of the ribbon during the activation has been analysed by AES and XPS. The surface of as-received ribbon is covered with a thin film of La_2 O_3. After pretreatment. the surface concentrations of both Ni and Zr increase obviously, whereas the surface concentration of La decreases markedly.Finally, on the surface of activated catalyst the Ni and NiO disperse finely on the matrix consisting of oxides of both Zr and La and a small amount of fluorides of Zr and La.

Key words: amorphous Ni_(63) Zr_(32) La_5 alloy, catalyst, activation mechanism