USE OF CHARGE-CONTAINING MOLECULES LINKED WITH COVALENT BONDS TO ENHANCE ACETYLENE HYDROGENATION CATALYSTS

A composition containing a supported hydrogenation catalyst comprising palladium and a support, wherein the supported hydrogenation catalyst is capable of selectively hydrogenating highly unsaturated hydrocarbons to unsaturated hydrocarbons, and a dopant, wherein the dopant comprises at least one component selected from zwitterions, ylides, betaines, or combinations thereof. A method of making a selective hydrogenation catalyst by contacting a support with a palladium-containing compound to form a supported-palladium composition, contacting the supported-palladium composition with a dopant to form a selective hydrogenation catalyst precursor, wherein the dopant comprises at least one component selected from zwitterions, ylides, betaines, or combinations thereof, and reducing the selective hydrogenation catalyst precursor to form the selective hydrogenation catalyst. A selective hydrogenation catalyst produced via the method of making a selective hydrogenation catalyst, and a method of selectively hydrogenating highly unsaturated hydrocarbons to an unsaturated hydrocarbon enriched composition are also provided.