Process for preparing a silver catalyst

Claim 1

A process for preparing a catalyst useful in the oxidation by molecular oxygen of ethylene to ethylene oxide comprising: (a) impregnating a support with a solution of a silver salt selected from the group consisting of silver acetate, silver benzoate, silver oxalate, silver lactate, silver malonate, silver succinate, silver glutarate, and silver maleate and comprising at least one non-nitrogenous reducing agent selected from the group consisting of alcohols, polyols, and keto alcohols at a temperature at or below 110° C.; (b) activating and drying said impregnated support of (a) at a temperature not below 85° C. or in excess of 200° C. for a sufficient time to permit substantially all of the silver in the impregnated solution to be deposited on said support and leaving decomposable residues on said support; (c) removing at least 85% of said residues of (b) from said activated support (b) by washing said support with a solvent; (d) thereafter post-impregnating the catalyst of (c) with a solution of a compound of one or more alkali metals selected from the group consisting of cesium, rubidium, and potassium and thereafter drying said post-impregnated catalyst.