Carbon was deposited over Raney type skeletal nickel catalysts by decomposing methane under controlled way: thereby pyrophoricity of Raney nickel was removed and non-pyrophoric nickel-carbon composite materials (NiC catalysts) were synthesised. XPS and XRD characterizations revealed that the catalysts consisted of nickel in metallic form with superficial oxide layers, carbon and aluminium oxide/hydroxide. The NiC catalysts were observed to be highly selective in hydrogenating C=C double bond in unsaturated carbonyl compounds leaving the carbonyl group almost untouched. Crotonaldehyde and isophorone were used as model substrates. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.