Process for the hydrogenation of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING CYCLOHEXANE BY THE VAPOR PHASE HYDROGENATION OF BENZENE WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING BENZENE TO CONTACT AT HYDROGENATING CONDITIONS WITH HYDROGEN AND A PLATINUM-ALUMINA CATALYST, COMPRISING CALCINED ALUMINA AND A PLATINUM GROUP METAL WHICH CATALYST IS CHARACTERIZED BY LARGE PORE, HIGH AREA BASE STRUCTURE ESSENTIALLY COMPOSED OF GAMMA ALUMINA MODIFICATIONS RESULTING FROM THE DRYING AND CALCINATION OF A MIXTURE OF PRECURSOR HYDROUS ALUMINA PHASES CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 65% TO ABOUT 95% OF TRIHYDRATE, SAID CATALYST CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 0.1% TO ABOUT 1% BY WEIGHT OF A PLATINUM METAL, SAID PLATINUM METAL BEING PRESENT IN SUFFICIENTLY FINELY DIVIDED FORM AS TO EXHIBIT, BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION STUDIES, THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF CRYSTALLITES AND CRYSTALS OF SIZE LARGER THAN 50 ANGSTROM UNITS, SAID CATALYST AFTER CALCINING AND BEFORE USE HAVING AN AREA (BET METHOD) OF FROM ABOUT 350 TO ABOUT 550 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM AND HAVING ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 0.5 CUBIC CENTIMETER PER GRAM OF PORE VOLUME IN THE PORE SIZE RANGE OF ABOUT 100 TO 1000 ANGSTROM UNITS.