Production of alumina and catalyst containing same

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING HYDROUS ALUMINA CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY, ON A TOTAL SOLIDS BASIS, OF ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT ALPHA ALUMINA MONOHYDRATE AND ABOUT 50 TO ABOUT 95 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF ALUMINA TRIHYDRATE, PREDOMINATELY IN THE FORM OF BETA ALUMINA TRIHYDRATE, WHICH COMPRISES REACTING ALUMINUM METAL OF AT LEAST 99.9 PERCENT PURITY HAVING A SURFACE AREA GREATER THAN ABOUT 1000 SQUARE INCHES PER POUND WITH EXCESS WATER, IN THE ABSENCE OF ACID, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CINSISTING OF MERCURY AND A MERCURY COMPOUND PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO BETWEEN ABOUT .25X10--6 AND ABOUT 100X10-6 POUNDS OF MERCURY PER SQUARE INCH OF SURFACE OF ALUMINUM METAL, CONTROLLING HTHE TEMPERATURE OF THE REACTION MIXTURE TO WITHIN THE RANGE OF 80* F. TO 140* F. AND THE PH WITHIN THE RANGE OF 7 TO 10, THE REACTION TEMPERATURE AND PH BEING CORRELATED TO LIE WITHIN THE AREA ABCDE OF FIGURE 1 OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING FOR A PERIOD OF BETWEEN ABOUT 8 AND 96 HOURS DURING WHICH PERIOD SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ALUMINUM METAL IS CONVERTED INTO SAID HYDROUS ALUMINA.