Stabilized zeolites and use thereof for hydrocarbon conversions

Claim 1

A CATALYST COMPOSITION COMPRISING A MINOR PROPORTION OF A GROUP VIII METAL HYDROGENATION COMPONENT HOMOGENEOUSLY COMBINED WITH A MAJOR PROPORTION OF A STABILIZED HYDROGEN ZEOLITE OF THE Y CRYSTAL TYPE, SAID HYDROGEN ZEOLITE BEING ONE WHICH WAS INITIALLY UNSTABLE AND SUBJECT TO LOSS OF AT LEAST ABOUT 10% OF ITS SURFACE AREA AND CRYSTALLINITY WHEN HEATED IN ITS HYDRATED STATE AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 300* AND 500*F., AND CONTAINING LESS THAN ABOUT 3% BY WEIGHT OF NA2O, AT LEAST ABOUT 40% OF THE ION-EXCHANGE CAPACITY THEREOF BEING SATISFIED BY HYDROGEN IONS, SAID UNSTABLE HYDROGEN ZEOLITE HAVING BEEN THEREAFTER STABILIZED AGAINST HYDROTHERMAL DEGRADATION WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION IN SURFACE AREA, BY HEATING THE SAME AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN ABOUT 700* AND 1,200* F. IN CONTACT WITH AW VAPOR PHASE COMPRISING AT LEAST ABOUT 0.4, BUT NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 10, P.S.I.A. PARTIAL PRESSURE OF WATER VAPOR, THERE HAVING BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY NO PREVIOUS CONTACTING OF SAID HYDROGEN ZEOLIT WITH WATER VAPOR OF GREATER THAN ABOUT 2 P.S.I. PARTIAL PRESSURE WITHIN THE TEMPERATURE RANGE OF ABOUT 300*-500*F.