Acid extracted-alkalized/carbon catalyst support with coordination complex catalyst and method of manufacture

Claim 1

A process for the preparation of a supported catalyst of a coordination complex of a transition metal useful in liquid phase reactions of olefin hydrogenation, hydroformylation and oxidation, of pre-activated carbon comprising: contacting said pre-activated carbon with an amount of aqueous solution of a volatile acid sufficient to substantially eliminate by reaction therewith the acid-extractable impurities in said carbon, said aqueous solution of volatile acid comprising 0.5 to 20% by weight of said acid and being present in a large excess -- compared with the quantity theoretically needed to eliminate the acid-extractable impurities -- during its contact with said pre-activated carbon; drying said acid treated pre-activated carbon; treating said dried, acid treated, pre-activated carbon to render the carbon alkaline with an aqueous solution of a mineral basic substance containing 1 × 10 - 1 to 1 × 10 - 3 moles of said mineral basic substance from the group consisting of alkali and alkaline-earth hydroxides and alkali carbonates per liter of solution, said aqueous solution of mineral basic substance being present in a large excess -- such that the ratio of its final concentration to its starting concentration is approximately one -- during the contact with said dried, acid treated, pre-activated carbon; drying the so base-treated carbon; and depositing said coordination complex on the so-treated carbon in liquid phase, wherein said coordination complex has the formula [M Cl x H y (CO) z L t ] wherein M is the metal nickel, rhodium, palladium, iridium or platinum; x + y = 1 when M is rhodium or iridium; x and y = 0 for the other metals; the total of x + y + z + t = 4; and L is a ligand selected from the group consisting of aliphatic and aromatic phosphites, aminophosphines, and -- where y = 1 and z = 0 -- aliphatic and aromatic phosphines.