Nickel alumina-supported catalysts were prepared from acidic solutions of nickel nitrate by the CIM and DIM methods (classical and double impregnation, respectively). The catalysts exhibited different nickel species due to the existence of various metal-support interaction strengths. As a consequence, the reducibility and other surface properties changed as a function of the preparation method. The aim of this work was to study the interaction between the metal precursor and the alumina surface by means of FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared) and FT-IR/PAS (FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy). (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.