| abstract |
Paraffins, especially light paraffins in the C4-C8 range, are isomerized to iso-paraffins over an isomerization catalyst comprising a noble metal such as platinum on a support material comprising an inorganic, non-layered, porous, crystalline phase aluminosilicate material which exhibits, after calcination, an X-ray diffraction pattern with at least one peak at a d-spacing greater than 18 Å and a benzene adsorption capacity greater than about 15 grams benzene per 100 grams at 50 torr and 25 °C. In its preferred form, the support material has a uniform, hexagonal arrangement of pores with diameters of at least about 13 Å and a hexagonal electron diffraction pattern that can be indexed with a d100 value greater than about 18 Å which corresponds to at least one peak in the X-ray diffraction pattern. |