TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The metal nanoparticles are a mixture of nanometer scale platelets and nanometer scale equiaxial particles. The nanoparticles form a metal core covered by a metal shell or metal coating that provides oxidation resistance to the metal core, which is less noble than the coating. The nanoparticles form a metal core covered by a metal shell or metal coating that provides catalysis for dehydrogenation. The nanoparticles form a metal core covered by a first metal coating that provides oxidation resistance to the core metal, which is less noble than the coating, and a second metal coating that provides catalysis for dehydrogenation. The metal nanoparticles and metal is Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Li, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Pd, Pt, Au or Ag (preferably Mg), or an alloy containing at least one of these metals (preferably alloy containing Mg). The shell or coating, and first and/or second coating is selected from Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pd, Pt, Au or an alloy containing at least one of these metals. The platelets have a thickness of 1 - 200 nm and a face dimension of 10 - 1000 nm. The aspect ratio (face diameter divided by thickness) of the platelets is 10 - 100 nm. The platelets are palladium (Pd) platelets. The nanoparticles form a metal core covered by a first coating that provides oxidation resistance to the core metal, which is less noble than the coating, and/or a second coating that provides catalysis for dehydrogenation. The metal or alloy of the core is different from the metal or alloy of the shell. The shell is an alloy containing a polymeric material. The shell is capable of providing catalysis for dehydrogenation and/or capable of providing oxidation resistance to the less noble core metal.Preferred Method: In the step (c2), the palladium, cobalt or an alloy containing palladium or cobalt, is palladium and the shell or coating is a first shell or coating of MgPd, over which is a second shell or coating of Pd.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: In the step (a1), amylamine (1 part molar) is also mixed with the octylamine (25 parts molar).