Copper chromite is a black powder and inorganic pigment thatadopts a spinel crystal structure. It can be made by the high-temperaturecalcination of copper(II) oxide and chromium(III) oxide or the thermaldecomposition of copper chromate, which evolves oxygen at higher temperaturesand decomposes to copper chromite.

Copper chromite is primarily used as a catalyst for hydrogenation reactions because of its ability to hydrogenate functional groups in aliphatic and aromatic compounds selectively. Industrially, copper chromite is used to reduce furfural to furfuryl alcohol and butyraldehyde to 1-butanol,partially reduce conjugated dienes to monoenes, and selectively reduce carbonyl groups in vegetable oils. This CuCr catalyst is studied for a variety of catalytic applications including converting the hydrogenolysis of cellulose.It is also used as a catalyst for combustion to help control burn rate and as alight-absorbing pigment. Copper chromite/graphene oxide nanocomposite canbe used in energy storage applications.