Isomerization process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR ISOMERIZING A HYDROCARBON FEED STOCK CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SATURATED HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE FEED STOCK WITH HYDROGEN AND A CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 75* TO ABOUT 500*F., A PRESSURE FROM ABOUT 0 TO ABOUT 3000 P.S.I.G., A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 10.0 VOLUMES OF FEED STOCK PER HOUR PER VOLUME OF CATALYST AND A HYDROGEN TO FEED STOCK MOLE RATIO FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 10.0, SAID CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF FROM ABOUT 0.01 TO ABOUT 5.0 PERCENT BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE TOTAL CATALYST OF A METALLIFEROUS HYDROGENATING COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GROUP VI AND GROUP VIII METALS COMPOSITED WITH A MAJOR AMOUNT OF A CARRIER COMPRISING ALUMINA AND FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO ABOUT 4.0 PERCENT BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE TOTAL CATALYST OF IRON COMBINED WITH THE ALUMINA AS A SPINEL, SAID CATALYST BEING ACTIVATED BY CONTACTING IT WITH A SULFUR COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THIONYL CHLORIDE, SULFUR MONOCHLORIDE, SULFUR DICHLORIDE AND SULFURYL CHLORIDE, SAID CONTACTING STEP BEING CARRIED OUT AT NONREDUCING CONDITIONS AND AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE A SUBSANTIAL INCREASE IN THE CHLORINE CONTENT OF THE CATALYST COMPOSITE.