Catalysts

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 in which the average pore diameter is below 16 A.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1 in which the support material is zeolite or alumina.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1 in which the catalytically active material is selected from platinum, palladium and rhodium.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 1 in which the catalytically active material is present in the solution in anionic form.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 1 in which the solvent in the solution consists of 20 to 50% water and 50 to 80 of the organic liquid.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 6 in which the organic liquid is methanol.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 1 in which the amount of the organic liquid is 10 to 90% by volume of the mixture and the organic liquid is inert to the catalytically active material, reduces the hydrogen bonding within the solution and between the solution and the support material and is wholly miscible with the water in the solution.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 8 in which the organic liquid is an alcohol or cyclic ether.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 8 in which the organic liquid is selected from tetrahydrofuran, methanol, ethanol, dioxan and furan.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 1 in which the support has a surface area of above 400 m 2 /g.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 1 in which the support material has been activated by generating on its surfaces having a deficiency of hydroxyl groups.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 1 in which the substance is subsequently reduced by carbonmonoxide.

Claim 15

A catalyst made by a method according to claim 1.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 1 in which the amount of solvent that is evaporated is at least 50% by volume of the amount of solution that is contacted with the support and the amount of the said substance present in the solution that is contacted with the support is less than about 2.5%, calculated as the metal, based on the weight of the support.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 1 in which the initial concentration of the substance in the solution is from 0.01 to 0.2% by weight catalytic metal.

Claim 18

A method according to claim 1 in which substantially all the solvent is evaporated.

Claim 19

A method according to claim 1 in which the evaporation is continued for a period of at least 10 hours.

Claim 20

In a process for making a catalyst comprising depositing on a porous refractory support material a solution of a substance providing a catalytically active metallic material comprising a metal of groups 6, 7 or 8 of the Periodic Table and converting said substance to said catalytically active metallic material, the improvement comprising making a more active catalyst by using a microporous support material having an average pore diameter of less than 30 A and physically adsorbing a solution of said substance in a mixture of water and 10 to 90% by volume of an inert organic liquid selected from the group comprising tetrahydrofuran, methanol, ethanol, dioxan and furan into said support material and evaporating at least 50% by volume of solvent, based on the volume of said solution, to thereby deposit said substance in the micropores of said support material.

Claim 21

In a process for making a catalyst comprising depositing on a porous refractory support material a solution of a substance providing a catalytically active metallic material comprising a metal of groups 6, 7 or 8 of the Periodic Table and converting said substance to said catalytically active metallic material, the improvement comprising making a more active catalyst by using a microporous support material having an average pore diameter of less than 30 A and physically adsorbing a solution of said substance in a mixture of water and 10 to 90% by volume of an inert organic liquid selected from the group comprising tetrahydrofuran, methanol, ethanol, dioxan and furan into said support material and evaporating at least 50% by volume of solvent, based on the volume of said solution, to thereby deposit said substance in the micropores of said support material.

Claim 22

Process of claim 19, wherein said metal is a noble metal.