Dehydrogenation process

In the cyclic process for the non-oxidative dehydrogenation of alkyl aromatic hydrocarbon compounds to produce corresponding aromatic compounds with unsaturated side chains comprising contacting alkyl aromatic hydrocarbon compounds having 8 to 12 carbon atoms including one or two alkyl chains of 2 to 3 carbon atoms with the active surface of a catalyst to remove hydrogen from said organic compound and producing a compound having a higher degree of unsaturation than said organic compound, terminating said dehydrogenation and regenerating said catalyst by contacting said catalyst with molecular oxygen wherein the improvement comprises employing a dehydrogenation catalyst consisting essentially of magnesium chromite of the formula MeAl.sub.x Cr.sub.2-x O.sub.4, having spinel structure, wherein Me is Mg or Mg and one or more of the divalent ions of Ca, Sr, Ba, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn or Cd, provided that Mg comprises at least 50 atomic percent of said Me ions and x is a number of from more than 0 up to less than 1, Me and Al being incorporated into the spinel structure, and a promoting amount of aluminum oxide intimately admixed with said magnesium chromite of the structure MeAl.sub.x Cr.sub.2-x O.sub.4, said active surface in contact with the gaseous reactants having aluminum in all forms, and chromium in an Al:Cr atomic ratio of from 0.0004 to 1.2:1.