Materials to be treated in a Parr hydrogenator are sealed in a reaction bottle with a catalyst and connected to a hydrogen reservoir. Air is removed either by evacuating the bottle or by flushing with hydrogen. Pressure is then applied from the reservoir and the bottle is shaken vigorously to initiate the reaction. The bottle can be heated or cooled during this process, if necessary. After the reaction reaches the desired point, the shaker is stopped, the bottle vented, and the product and catalyst are recovered.
Progress of the reaction can be followed by observing the pressure drop in the system. For example, when using a 250 mL charge in a 500 mL bottle and drawing hydrogen from the standard 4-litre tank, the tank pressure will drop approximately 8 psi for each one-tenth mole of hydrogen consumed. The exact relationship between the pressure drop and the amount of hydrogen consumed can be determined by making a calibration run using a weighed amount of a compound whose hydrogen acceptance is known.
