TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Property: The catalytic activity of the remaining structure lacking crystallinity and substrate component is equal to a catalytic activity exhibited by the catalyst material, prior to the selective removal of crystalline particles.Preferred Method: Providing the substrate component comprises forming the substrate by a gelation/coprecipitation process, followed by calcining. Production of a metallic component on the surface of the substrate component comprises applying the metallic component by precipitation, co-precipitation, gelation, evaporation, a deposition-precipitation process, impregnation process, adsorption of molecules followed by decomposition, ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition, or physical vapor deposition. The substrate component is sintered at approximately 400degreesC. The removal step comprises etching, dissolving, or preferably leaching with a solution of sodium cyanide, or with an aqueous solution of 2% sodium cyanide having a pH of at least11. The catalytic activity is exhibited in the performance of a water gas shift reaction. The catalytic activity is measured with respect to a rate of reaction/gram of the catalyst material, or measured with respect to a rate of reaction per unit mass or per unit surface area of the catalyst material.Preferred Component: The substrate component comprises a microcrystalline substance. It comprises a rare-earth-, an alkaline earth-, a scandium-, or yttrium-doped cerium (Ce) oxide. The metallic component comprises platinum, copper, rhodium, palladium, silver, iron, manganese, nickel, cobalt, ruthenium, iridium, or preferably gold (Au). The substrate comprises a metal oxide. It comprises zeolite, carbide, nitride, sulfate, or sulfide. It comprises a crystalline defect solid that provides oxygen to a reaction.Preferred Material: The rare-earth is lanthanum (La). The substrate component is lanthanum-doped Ce oxide.Preferred Parameter: The removal step removes at least10, preferably at least90% of the metallic component. Au has a concentration of 1-1/100, one half-1/10, or 0.44-0.23 atom%, where the atomic percentage is computed according to the mathematical expression: (100xgrams Au/(atomic mass of Au))/(grams Au/(atomic mass of Au)+grams Ce/(atomic mass of Ce)+grams La/(atomic mass of La)), based on chemical composition of the catalytic material.