The mechanism of deuterium exchange with hydrogen atoms in small noncyclic olefins has been investigated over a pure alumina catalyst. In reactions of 1-butene, cis-2-butene, isobutene, and tert-butylethylene with D2, only the vinyl CH bonds underwent exchange below 100 °C. The exchange occurred most readily with terminal vinyl hydrogen atoms of α-olefins and probably involved a dissociative mechanism on acid-base or ion-pair sites on the dehydroxylated surface. Isomerization and exchange were independent processes. NMR studies of the products obtained at two different temperatures showed that the activation energy for the exchange reaction in isobutene was considerably lower than that for double-bond migration. © 1969.