Transition-metal oxides added to Pd/SiO2 improve significantly the activity and the ethylene selectivity of the catalyst in acetylene hydrogenation, which is caused by the interaction between the oxides and the Pd surface similar to the case of the oxide-supported catalysts. It has been confirmed through experiments that metal oxides spread on and modify both geometrically and electronically the Pd surface after the catalyst is reduced at 500 degreesC. Such a behavior of metal oxides in the catalyst is correlated well with their promotional effect on the catalyst performance. That is, the oxides on the Pd surface retard the sintering of the dispersed Pd particles, suppress the adsorption of ethylene in the multiply-bound mode, and facilitate the desorption of ethylene produced by acetylene hydrogenation. Among the three metal oxides examined in this study, Ti oxide is found to have the most promotional effect. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.