PERMANENT CHANGE OF CATALYTIC PROPERTIES INDUCED BY MICROWAVE ACTIVATION ON 0.3-PERCENT PT AL2O3 (EUROPT-3) AND ON 0.3-PERCENT PT 0.3-PERCENT RE/AL2O3 (EUROPT-4)/

This paper describes the effect of microwaves on EuroPt-3 and EuroPt-4 catalysts which have been studied in a number of European laboratorie s affiliated with the council of Europe's research group on catalysis and are now well known standard catalysts. It presents the study of 2- methylpentane isomerization on these catalysts as a function of the he ating mode. Microwaves change some of the catalytic properties. In the case of EuroPt-3 catalyst, a standard containing 0.95% chlorine, the isomer selectivity is increased by a factor 2 when the reaction is per formed under an electromagnetic held. On EuroPt-4, a standard bimetall ic catalyst, the distributions of the hexane products formed in the is omerization of 2-methylpentane are different when the reactions occur under the two heating modes.